Latest news with #OfficeoftheInspectorGeneral
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's new budget bill hides an assault on hospice
President Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' which passed the House with almost unanimous Republican support on May 22, mandates $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. This is a cruel assault on some of the most vulnerable Americans that will strip them of vital health care services. It will also take an axe to hospice, which relies on Medicare reimbursement to function. Since 1982, when Medicare first began covering hospice, Americans have turned to it for essential end-of-life services that address the specialized needs of the dying and allow for death with dignity. Our current system doesn't always run perfectly and would benefit from greater funding and support. I know this because when my mother was 99.5 years of age and less than six months away from her death, medical staff at our local hospice agency determined she was not, in fact, dying soon enough. Presumably adhering to Medicare guidelines, they callously discontinued our hospice services. The abrupt cessation of care prompted my debilitated mom's eviction from an assisted living facility. The chaotic aftermath necessitated medicine, schedule and equipment adjustments for her and delivered a massive blow to me, her primary caregiver. Fewer resources means this financially draining and emotionally wrenching situation will become more common — perhaps even the norm. The shifting demographics make the picture even bleaker. The U.S. is a rapidly aging population, with the number of Americans ages 65 and older expected to more than double over the next 40 years. At a time when we should be buttressing hospice services, our government is threatening to starve them. According to the Office of the Inspector General, 'About 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries receive hospice care each year, and Medicare pays about $23 billion annually for this care.' Hospice is an interdisciplinary service that provides everything from pain relief to spiritual support to medication management to dietary consulting to mobility equipment to bereavement counseling. While the price tag may sound hefty and our current administration would like us to believe that public services are an unbearable financial burden, an investigation published in the Journal of American Medical Association Health Forum found that hospice saves Medicare money. Research shows that hospice significantly benefits dementia and cancer patients at the end of their lives. On May 19, 2025, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published a study of 51,300 assisted living residents that concluded, 'Higher frequency of hospice staff visits was associated with better perceived hospice quality. Policies supporting greater hospice staff engagement, including nonclinical staff, may enhance end-of-life care experiences for assisted living residents.' The report matters because the findings illuminate the humane need for both clinical and nonclinical treatment that provides for medical and emotional support as life ends. We all heard President Trump campaign on promises to protect Medicare, but Richard Fiesta, executive director of the advocacy group Alliance for Retired Americans, describes the ongoing national budget scene as 'an all-out assault on Medicare and Medicaid that will hurt older Americans in every community across the country.' And Shannon Benton, the executive director of the Senior Citizens League, another advocacy group, now warns that the potential Medicare cuts could lead to lower reimbursement rates. This would be disastrous for millions of Americans and would threaten to eradicate end-of-life care as we know common belief, hospices are not run by volunteers. Volunteers might become part-time visitors or assistants for a variety of tasks, but hospice administrations are led by professionals who are evaluated on financial performance and organizational viability. Palliative care is free to recipients and families and available at all income levels, but hospices are businesses, and they must raise sufficient funds through donations, gifts, bequests and reimbursements to compensate employees, repay loans, cover operating costs, and plan for exigencies. Simply put, much of that money comes from Medicare. Specialized care for the dying was introduced to the U.S. in 1963, when Yale University's then dean Florence Wald invited Dame Cicely Saunders of the U.K. to participate in a visiting lecture at Yale. At that time Saunders said, 'We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.' Four years later, in 1967, Saunders created St. Christopher's Hospice in the U.K. Later, in 1974, Florence Wald founded Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Connecticut — America's first hospice. Within five years and after several national conferences, the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare acknowledged that hospices provided alternative care programs for Americans losing their lives to terminal illnesses. Federal hospice regulations were drafted. In 1982, Medicare added hospice care to its benefits, and in 1985, Medicare hospice coverage became permanent. With that, the U.S. recognized the right of its citizens to die with dignity. Forty years later, our government has signaled that a rollback of that right may be on the horizon. Eventually, my mother died in a highly regarded long-term care complex without hospice support and with no prescribed opioids. It was an unnecessarily excruciating death that exacerbated my and my family's grief. The trauma we suffered was destabilizing and healing from it was slow and difficult. If Trump's Orwellian-named 'big beautiful bill' passes the Senate, I fear our experience will have been an ugly preview of what is to come.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Investigation launched into Tory Lanez prison stabbing
An investigation is underway after Tory Lanez was stabbed in prison, The Post can confirm. A representative from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told The Post exclusively that 'an investigation has been initiated' by the California Correctional Institution, the state's prison system where Lanez is behind bars. We're also told that the state's prison-oversight agency, the Office of the Inspector General, 'has been notified' about the incident. The Kern County District Attorney's Office will be ready to step in if investigators find a reason to pursue charges against any of the involved parties, with a spokesperson telling The Post, 'Our office awaits a formal complaint following the investigation.' The rapper, 32, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was stabbed on Monday morning by another inmate at the Tehachapi prison where Lanez is serving 10 years after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. 'At approximately 7:20 a.m. today, Daystar Peterson ([inmate number] BW0168) was attacked by another inmate at a housing unit in the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi. Staff immediately responded, activated 911 and began medical aid. Peterson was subsequently transported to an outside medical facility for further treatment,' the CDCR spokesperson confirmed to The Post. The representative also handed out Lanez's mug shot, taken in October 2023, which he said is the 'latest photograph' of the rapper. It was likely taken when he entered the Tehachapi facility. After the stabbing, Lanez was taken to a nearby hospital in Bakersfield, California, via an ambulance and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to TMZ, which first broke the story. At this time, the motivation behind the attack remains unclear. The Post reached out to Lanez's rep for comment but did not immediately hear back. On Thursday, the 'Alone at Prom' rapper shared a photo on Instagram of him with fellow inmates in jail, and teased that he's dropping an album soon. 'UPDATE : 2025 …. IYKYK . LESS IMPORTANT UPDATE : 2ND ALBUM 100 % RECORDED, MIXED & MASTERED NEW ALBUM. NEW GENRE : S—-Y BASS SUMMER 2025,' he wrote. Lanez was taken into custody immediately following his conviction in December 2022. He was found guilty of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Megan, 30, took the stand during his trial and emotionally detailed her lasting scars from being shot by Lanez after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner's home on July 12, 2020. The 'WAP' rapper testified that Lanez fired the gun at her feet and shouted for her to 'dance b—-' as she exited and began walking away from the vehicle they were both riding in. She also claimed that Lanez offered her a whopping $1 million to keep quiet. Megan was forced to undergo surgery to remove the bullet fragments that were lodged in her feet. The Grammy winner took a beating from the hip-hop community after coming clean about the shooting, with several in the music industry showing their public support for Lanez. Megan was granted a five-year restraining order against Lanez in January after claiming he was still harassing her during his incarceration. 'I feel like maybe he'll shoot me again, and maybe this time I won't make it,' she reportedly stated in her request. The restraining order is effective until 2030. Lanez will be eligible for parole in 2029.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
IG report: 2023 officer-involved shooting in New London was justified
NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) — The Office of the Inspector General has ruled that the use of deadly force by police officers in a 2023 incident in New London was justified. Connecticut Office of Inspector General investigating officer-involved shooting in New London On Nov. 26, 2023, three New London police officers shot and wounded Christopher Nolan, a 42-year-old Black man at the Clarion Inn in New London after responding to a report of a shot being fired from a second-floor window. Officers arrived at Nolan's room to find him standing behind a curtain near the window and told him to show his hands. Nolan allegedly responded to police by saying 'I'll shoot' multiple times. When he raised his right hand up, an officer said that they observed Nolan holding a revolver and pointing it in their direction. The three officers — Joseph Nott III, Seth Bolduc and Anna Agnew — then allegedly shot at and wounded Nolan. Police later recovered a loaded revolver from the windowsill of the room. The Inspector General's office said that the officers shot at Nolan in response to what they perceived to be an imminent threat against them, and therefore their use of deadly force was reasonable and justified under Connecticut law. The report continues by saying that Nolan still refused to obey commands from officers after being shot. Nott III then used his taser on Nolan, causing him to fall to the floor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump budget would slash NASA funds, kill off Artemis' SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft
President Donald Trump's proposed budget looks to end the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft and Gateway space station central to NASA's existing Artemis program — but only after a successful moon landing as the nation remains in a race with China. A preliminary overview of the White House's planned 2026 discretionary budget released Friday dubbed SLS and Orion as 'grossly expensive and delayed,' citing that each launch costs the government $4 billion and the program overall is 140% over budget. It's among billions in cuts for the overall $18.8 billion proposed budget for NASA, which for the current fiscal year is nearly $25 billion. Ultimately, Congress will pass a budget and it often counters presidential proposals. The Trump administration looks to drop funds toward Artemis' future launches by $879 million with a goal of ending them after the Artemis III flight. 'The budget funds a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the moon with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions,' the White House proposal stated. 'The budget also proposes to terminate the Gateway, a small lunar space station in development with international partners, which would have been used to support future SLS and Orion missions.' NASA flew the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission that orbited the moon in 2022 and has its first crewed mission, Artemis II, gearing up to fly around the moon no later than April. Artemis III, still on NASA's calendar for summer 2027, would return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA's Office of the Inspector General in 2023 raised the red flag of rising costs of SLS and Orion, noting that by the time it manages to fly Artemis III the program would have topped $93 billion. That includes billions more than originally announced in 2012 as years of delays and cost increases plagued the lead-up to Artemis I. Even nearly two years ago the audit said NASA should consider alternatives. 'Although the SLS is the only launch vehicle currently available that meets Artemis mission needs, in the next 3 to 5 years other human-rated commercial alternatives that are lighter, cheaper, and reusable may become available,' the audit said. 'Therefore, NASA may want to consider whether other commercial options should be a part of its mid- to long-term plans to support its ambitious space exploration goals.' That includes heavy-lift rockets such as Blue Origin's New Glenn that flew for the first time early this year as well as the in-development SpaceX Starship that has made several suborbital test flights. To that end, the Trump budget proposal looks to keep the human exploration budget the highest line item with more than $7 billion — including $1 billion in new investments to pursue Mars-focused programs. That's the only program with a proposed increase. The biggest loser in the proposed budget is space science with cuts of more than $2.2 billion followed by more than $1.1 billion in cuts to Earth science, mission support and more than $500 million from space technology. 'In line with the administration's objectives of returning to the moon before China and putting a man on Mars, the budget would reduce lower priority research and terminate unaffordable missions such as the Mars Sample Return mission that is grossly overbudget and whose goals would be achieved by human missions to Mars,' the proposal stated. _____
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
West Haven police officer justified in 2023 fatal shooting, inspector general says
The video above, released in December of 2023, shows body camera footage of the incident. WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A West Haven police officer's use of deadly force on a man in 2023 was deemed justified by the Office of the Inspector General, according to a report released Thursday. The inspector general found officer Alex Triscritti was confronted with 'a sudden, unexpected, and dangerous situation' when Jovan Washington reached under his mattress and grabbed a handgun, then shot another officer in the leg. Office of Inspector General releases body cam footage of officer-involved shooting in West Haven 'I am frank to admit that I cannot understand why Jovan Washington would grab a gun and fire it at police. I suppose it was an act of desperation of some kind. Given the threat he posed, however, Officer Triscritti's actions were appropriate and necessary to eliminate that threat,' Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr. said in the report. The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2023, when police responded to a domestic complaint at an apartment on Terrace Avenue. Officers spoke with a woman who said 33-year-old Washington attempted to strangle her and would not let her leave the apartment. The Price of Life: The battle with health providers to keep their loved ones alive Body camera showed officers go into a bedroom to speak with Washington, telling him he was going to be taken into custody and asking him if he wanted to put on a pair of pants. Washington got out of bed, moved toward a closet and suddenly turned to reach for a gun under the mattress, authorities said. A struggle ensued, and Washington fired one shot, striking Officer Cody Bacon in the leg. Triscritti then fired multiple rounds, striking Washington. Washington was pronounced dead at a hospital. Bacon was released from the hospital the next day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
