Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Health Issues In State Of The State Addresses
Alaska: In her Jan. 15 speech, Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said the state in 2008 is addressing "the availability and cost of health care." Palin said her administration established the Health Care Strategies Council and will "pursue many of their recommendations, starting with our Health Care Transparency Act, requiring that consumers get better information about prices and quality of their own care." Palin said the state also "will allow competition" among health care providers. Palin said her administration is "considering what other fiscally conservative states have done to incentivize employers to provide medical insurance for employees, based on the free market." She also urged Alaskans "to take more personal responsibility" for their health (Palin speech text, 1/15).
Kentucky: In his Jan. 14 speech, Gov. Steve Beshear (D) said the state's "budget crisis will unfortunately reduce" its ability to "make major new investments in some important priorities," but the "need to lower prescription drug costs" for the state's senior citizens, among other issues, "will not go away." Beshear said "re-engineering Kentucky's economy from within must be among the highest priorities" and if that happens, the state will be "able to make health care accessible to all" (Beshear speech text, 1/14).
Maryland: In his Jan. 23 speech, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said that the Health Care Reform Act approved in December 2007 will allow the state to provide health coverage "to more than 100,000 Marylanders -- expanding access to preventive care, stabilizing costs and providing incentives for many small and family-owned businesses who want to join the ranks of the insured." O'Malley said the state needs to "advance health care [information technology] and to extend dental care for children so that no child in any county ever dies again because of the inability" to receive treatment. O'Malley also asked lawmakers to approve several bills related to veterans' health (O'Malley speech text, 1/23).
Massachusetts: In his Jan. 24 speech, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) said, "State employees ... must help by sharing a greater burden of their health insurance benefits" to help relieve budget constraints. He also noted that 300,000 state residents who were uninsured last year are "insured today and have access to affordable, reliable primary care" (Patrick speech text, 1/24).
Mississippi: In his Jan. 21 speech, Gov. Haley Barbour (R) said Medicaid is the state's "biggest budget challenge," as "the federal government has forced us to stop using certain funds to cover the state Medicaid match requirement." For example, Barbour said the state must "replace the $90 million of state match that was previously provided solely by public hospitals to generate $275 million of federal Medicaid funds." The state for the past two-and-a-half years has used a one-time federal payment from Hurricane Katrina supplemental funds to "pay the state match with the understanding that Medicaid would implement a new financing program," Barbour said, adding, "That federal money is gone. So now we have no choice but to put in place a long-term solution." Barbour proposed filling the gap by "restoring payments by ... all hospitals -- not just public hospitals" -- and by making budget cuts. He said the state also should "take action to improve the health care situation for the tens of thousands of working Mississippians who aren't eligible for Medicaid but don't have private insurance." Barbour proposed the creation of a voluntary Mississippi Health Insurance Exchange that would help employees of small businesses purchase private health insurance and said that "legislation will be offered this session to create this exchange and fund its small, initial operational cost" (Barbour speech text, 1/21).
Rhode Island: In his Jan. 22 speech, Gov. Donald Carcieri (D) said the state is "advancing an innovative health care agenda, emphasizing wellness, personal responsibility and the use of information technology to reduce costs." Carcieri said he soon will announce a proposal to "transform the state's Medicaid program ... from one centered on institutions and agencies to a system that focuses on the people who use it." In addition, he said the state needs to overhaul its long-term care system because it "has been principally focused on nursing homes." Carcieri said, "No longer will seniors be forced into nursing homes because they need help taking medicine or services that can be provided in their own homes" (Carcieri speech text, 1/22).
West Virginia: In his Jan. 9 speech, Gov. Joe Manchin (D) announced the launch of the kindergarten health screening initiative Kids First, which will use administrative funds from SCHIP to "establish a health services initiative that is the first in the nation to ensure every uninsured child entering kindergarten has a wellness screening prior to starting school." Manchin said kindergarteners in the pilot program will receive follow-up medical screenings in second, fifth and eighth grades. Manchin also announced the creation of the WVRx program, which will begin Feb. 1. Under the program, "uninsured working West Virginians will be able to access free prescriptions at West Virginia Health Right," he said, adding that a public-private partnership will allow physicians, hospitals and patients "to access prescription drugs donated by manufacturers by phone or e-mail via an efficient, paperless system." Manchin recommended "building the programs necessary to produce the large numbers of critical health care specialists we will need to replace retiring baby boomers" and announced that the state will "invest in existing programs at our community and technical colleges to fill this growing need." Manchin said the effort aims to create "approximately 1,000 new allied health field graduates" annually in the state starting in 2010. Manchin also said he will work to ensure veterans receive needed counseling services and other resources (Manchin speech text, 1/9).
Wisconsin: In his Jan. 23 speech, Gov. Jim Doyle (D) said the state must "address the most significant burden on our economy, our businesses and our families -- health care." He said the BadgerCare Plus program, which will launch on Feb. 1 and give "98% of Wisconsin citizens ... access to affordable health insurance." In addition, Doyle said a new program called BadgerChoice will provide a "one-stop shop for small businesses where there's real competition among insurance companies and real choice for consumers." He said the plan is modeled after "the most innovative solutions in the country" and will "create a consumer-driven health care marketplace for nearly 800,000 people" (Doyle speech text, 1/23). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Kaiser Raport zilnic de politicã de sãnãtate în evidenþã în probleme de sãnãtate de stat membru de adrese - Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Health Issues In State Of The State Addresses - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate