State Health Watch Archives – September 1, 2008
September 1, 2008
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Runaway train: U.S. health system gaining speed 'on the wrong track'
The Commonwealth Fund's 2008 update to its initial National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, issued in 2006, contains a sobering assessment that health care in this country typically falls far short of what is achievable. -
Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Prevention payday: Ten bucks a person equals $16 billion a year within five years
Little changes can make a big difference. Although that message still is seen as counterintuitive by some health care experts, Trust for America's Health (TFAH) has concluded that an investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion a year within five years, or a return of $5.60 for every $1 invested. -
A strategy to strive toward universal health coverage
While many states are undertaking health care reform initiatives, including attempting to reach universal coverage within their state, the nation continues to lose ground on coverage and families are feeling the strain on their wallets and their health. -
Improving Medicaid services for children
Too many children enrolled in Medicaid don't receive the comprehensive developmental assessments that states are required to provide through the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. As a result, according to researchers at Mathematica Policy Research and George Washington University, many developmental problems remain unidentified or go untreated. -
Payment model finds avoidable complications
An experimental payment system modeled for heart attack and diabetes demonstrates potentially avoidable complications are significantly inflating health care costs. -
Clip files / Local news from the states
This column features selected short items about state health care policy.