State Health Watch Archives – May 1, 2003
May 1, 2003
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Policy-makers must decide: Cover uninsured or pay a higher price
There is a money available to subsidize health insurance for the uninsured, but it needs to come from money spent on uncompensated treatment, says a report presented by a coalition of groups looking to improve insurance coverage. -
Families often suffer needlessly when making choices for treating mental health disorders
A recent report from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC, paints a grim picture of the choices parents are forced to make to obtain mental health services for their children. -
MA mental health study shows the way to better treatments
A new report issued by the Consumer Quality Initiatives in Dorchester, MA, records the difficulties experienced by young adults who receive mental health treatment as adolescents and later transition to adult services. The group finds that eligibility for adult services is stricter, and Medicaid dollars primarily support short-term acute care services. -
Local agencies say smallpox vaccinations hurting other efforts
A survey of local public health agencies by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in Washington, DC, indicates the nations smallpox vaccination program negatively impacts other bioterrorism preparedness activities such as development of response plans, disease surveillance systems, and epidemiologic capabilities. -
New cancer program combines population screening with public health intervention
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 established a new state coverage option under Medicaid that permits states to extend Medicaid to any uninsured woman under age 65 who was screened and diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). -
The mentally ill, effective meds, and Medicaid
State and federal governments need to ensure continued access to effective medications for people with severe mental illnesses even though Medicaid programs are trying to save money by controlling prescription drug use, according to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) in Arlington, VA.