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State Officials Challenge Rx Study
Headlines in major newspapers across the country last week revealed grim news about state Medicaid programs. “One in Four Medicaid Beneficiaries Unable to Fill Prescriptions,” papers reported. But some state officials question the claim. The stories were based on an April 9 study by the Center for Studying Health System Change , a nonpartisan policy […]
States Grapple With Malpractice Crisis
When the St. Paul Insurance Company announced last December it would quit selling medical malpractice policies to improve profitability, it wasn’t too long before states started to see the fallout. St. Paul was the biggest medical malpractice insurer in the nation, covering tens of thousands of doctors. But few people could blame it for getting […]
Crematories Need More Regulation, Experts Say
Cremation, the burning of a dead body to ashes, has become an increasingly popular option of disposing of final remains. In 1958, roughly 3.6 percent of the 1.6 million U.S. citizens who died were cremated. That figure jumped to 25 percent of 2.3 million people in 2000, and is expected to grow to 49 percent […]
Cigarette Taxes, Public Health Show Little Correlation
People who smoke are an easy mark for state policy makers desperately searching for government revenues to see them through these economic hard times. New York and Connecticut Govs George Pataki and John Rowland recently signed cigarette tax increases and 21 other states are considering similar measures. Anti-smoking advocates are thrilled. “Raising taxes saves lives,” […]
States Laud Maine Court Decision
In a ruling heard from Maine to Hawaii, a federal judge on Monday (2/25) gave a boost to states looking to curb rising prescription drug costs. More specifically, U.S District Judge Ricardo Urbina said in a 30-page decision Maine could continue with a project which offers prescription drugs to poor people, shutting down for the […]
Rx Aid, Medicaid Woes Top Health Policy Concerns
In the last 12 months, state health policy makers have had to deal with tighter budgets, a situation worsened by the events of Sept. 11. Despite monetary shortfalls, lawmakers in many states created some new health programs, and reshaped some old ones during the course of 2001. Cancer Treatment For Women Women’s health advocates scored […]
States Share Latest On Rx Programs
Officials from Florida, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will provide updates on their Medicaid and state employee prescription drug programs at a forum in Pittsburgh Friday (1/11). Sponsored by the Northeast Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Pricesa group that has members from the New England states, New York and Pennsylvania, the meeting is hailed […]
Children’s Groups Seek To Preserve Programs
In the face of the economic recession and widespread budget cuts, children’s advocacy groups across the country hope to hang on to existing budget items and programs in upcoming state legislative sessions. Access to health care, economic security and early childhood education for kids up to age five are other top state priorities, the National […]
Lawmakers Not Keen on ‘Model’ Public Health Law
State legislators have rejected a “model public health law” crafted by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities with help from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Known officially as the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act , the proposed legislation was drafted in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks […]
State Health Experts Cite Budget Woes As Major Concern
Prescription drugs, tobacco prevention, rising health care costs and Medicaid are high priority areas for health officials across the country. But revenue shortfalls remain the over-arching concern, policymakers from five states said Sunday (11/18) at a forum in Seattle, Washington. The forum, sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, featured health-related officials from Arizona, […]
Lawmakers Press Solicitor General on Maine Rx Case
An eight-state coalition wants the U.S. Solicitor General to support Maine in a controversial prescription drug case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. The group, known as the Northeast Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices, wants the federal government’s chief lawyer to weigh in heavily on behalf of states trying to curb prescription costs. The […]
Governors Sound Off on Medicaid Budget Fix
The National Governors Association is pushing for an economic stimulus plan that would dole out more federal dollars to state Medicaid programs. “Increasing the federal share (of money for Medicaid) means an immediate influx of …money to the states,” says Matt Salo, NGA’s chief health lobbyist, who spoke at a (11/8) briefing in Washington, D.C. […]