Childrens Health
Medicaid ADHD Treatment Under Scrutiny
© AP Amid national concerns that too many children are being medicated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), some state Medicaid programs are stepping up oversight of diagnoses and treatments. ATLANTA – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, affects one in every seven school-aged children in the U.S., and between 2003 and 2011 the number […]
The ACA’s ‘Family Glitch’ Could Hurt Families Who Need CHIP
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett stops to talk to Jonathan Ortiz while touring Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa. Corbett added enough money to the state’s CHIP budget this year to cover 9,300 more children. (AP) The Affordable Care Act is primarily aimed at insuring more adults, including parents. In the process, a substantial […]
Penn State Case Spurs Movement for New Child Abuse Reporting Laws
Lawmakers in several states are reacting to the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State by proposing new legislation that would create stricter child abuse reporting requirements. Pennsylvania – which is still reeling amid allegations that a former Penn State football coach sexually molested at least eight boys over a 15-year span and that university […]
Report: South Struggles to Provide Child Well-Being
The South struggles the most to provide child well-being, according to a new 50-state assessment by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a Baltimore-based charity that works to assist disadvantaged children. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi rank the lowest in the foundation’s annual “Kids Count” report, which determines the conditions facing children in each state by […]
Dramatic Budget Cuts in Arizona
The details emerging from Arizona’s new budget — approved by state lawmakers late Thursday (March 11) — are staggering. More than 310,000 adults and 47,000 low-income children are slated to lose health insurance under the plan, which reduces spending by about $1.1 billion, eliminates full-day kindergarten and, according to The Arizona Republic , slashes funds […]
Summary of the Kentucky State of the Commonwealth Address
“I refuse to use this recession as an excuse not to move forward,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) told lawmakers in the politically divided Legislature Jan. 6, as another session of difficult budget choices got under way. “I refuse to hunker down and hide, to just wait out this storm and to passively accept the […]
U.S. Lawmakers Fault States for AIG Collapse
State insurance regulators are angry that four members of Congress who support federal oversight of the industry are blaming states in part for the collapse of insurance giant American International Group Inc., an event that escalated the financial crisis on Wall Street. “This is not a time for political opportunism,” Joel Ario, Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner, […]
States Lead Feds in Toy Safety
Reacting to an increase in toy recalls and consumer complaints, five states have targeted tainted toys in new laws that in some way regulate toy sales in their states. In total, 29 states have pursued legislation on toy safety, with 20 of those states taking steps to ban four toxic substances sometimes used in toy […]
Some states reconsider youth sex laws
This story on a hot topic facing states next year is excerpted from Stateline.org ‘s upcoming annual report on state trends and policy, “State of the States 2008.” Lawmakers across the country continue to mete out harsh punishments to sex offenders – from satellite tracking to the death penalty – but a handful of states […]
Congress Tackles States’ Agenda
As lawmakers on Capitol Hill shift their focus from the Iraq war and turn to domestic issues, states are sending a simple message: more money and less interference. Measures pending before Congress that are important to states vary widely, but several would have a profound impact on the daily lives of Americans, if approved, ranging […]
Lawmakers Promote Health Care for Kids
This spring spelled trouble for several pricey plans by governors who had promised universal health care – but efforts, big and small, to insure children are faring better. “There seems to be a real strong will to expand coverage for children. The only thing that is a roadblock is money,” said Kathleen Stoll, director […]
High School Athletes Next for Steroid Tests
(Updated 12:45 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 18) A year after New Jersey became the first state to mandate random steroid testing for high school athletes, Texas and Florida are on the verge of launching their own testing programs, and Illinois may not be far behind. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Friday (June 15) […]