Health Care Access in the News: november 06 - november 12, 2006
Consumer Health Coalition (CHC) has highlighted major news headlines and studies related to health care access from the past week. We hope you find this information INTERESTING AND useful!

HEALTH CARE QUALITY

HEALTH CARE CENTER BUILT ON MODEL THAT PUTS PATIENTS FIRST
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
By Jill Daly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Right away you can see the difference: In freshly painted hallways in the lower level of a huge, new multipurpose brick building, signs to each office are written in English and Russian. A message of cultural inclusiveness can be read in those signs, part of the mission of the new Squirrel Hill Health Center, which celebrated its grand opening Oct. 29. The center, on the campus of the Jewish Association on Aging off Browns Hill Road, offers access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care with fewer obstacles for patients -- not just how to pay for it, but also barriers of culture, language, age and disability.”

DOCTORS NOW TRYING TO CURE LONG-WAIT COMPLAINTS
Saturday, November 04, 2006
By Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press

“After years of overcrowding, overbooking, and angry patient complaints, many hospitals and doctors' offices are finally doing something about those waits:
•Providing test results quickly on site or online.
•Offering same-day exams to patients who call early.
•Speeding up emergency room triage to get patients faster treatment.
•And offering restaurant-style pagers so not-so-sick patients don't feel stuck in a crowded emergency waiting room.
Shortening waiting times is part of a nationwide move toward empowering patients, reducing medical errors and improving health care. When patients are ill, "the longer that they have to wait to get into the system, the greater the chance" their sickness will worsen, too, said Sue Gullo of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement."

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY AGREES ON PATIENT SAFETY RULES
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
By Laura Landro, The Wall Street Journal

“Despite years of efforts to fix the nation's error-ridden health-care system, leading safety experts say Americans aren't much safer than they were five years ago -- and too many conflicting safety programs may be part of the problem. Now, a coalition of health-care purchasers, quality groups and government agencies working with the National Quality Forum, the leading government advisory body on health-care quality measurement and standards, have agreed for the first time to endorse a single set of 30 "safe practices" that all hospitals should use to prevent death and injury to patients. The agreement comes after a two-year effort to harmonize the dizzying and often conflicting array of safety guidelines that have sprung up since 2000 in response to the landmark Institute of Medicine report, "To Err Is Human," which found that as many as 100,000 patients die each year from medical mistakes.”

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

A SILENT SCREAM
Monday, November 13, 2006
By Laura Urbani, for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

“So many teachers and medical professionals have expressed concern over self-mutilation -- sometimes called "cutting." People hurt themselves precisely because they can not talk about their intense feelings or emotions, experts say. This inability to communicate keeps the behavior shrouded in secrecy, and makes it difficult for cutters to ask for help. Seventeen percent of college students -- about one in six -- have injured themselves, Judy Welty of Excela Health said. Of those, 75 percent have done it on multiple occasions, and 25 percent need a doctor's care to treat the injury."

IN THE PROBLEM MY LIE A SOLUTION
November 11, 2006
By Avi Salzman, The New York Times

“Consumer demand, a landmark lawsuit and relaxed federal rules are now encouraging states to consider allowing the Medicaid dollars used to pay for long-term care in a nursing home to cover the cost of caring for someone at home. “Earlier this month, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey applied for grants under a $1.75 billion federal program called Money Follows the Person. The government’s goal is for states to use the money to move nursing home residents who receive Medicaid to home care, which is often less expensive. “I think it’s a much-needed incentive from the federal government to encourage states to place people in alternative community settings when appropriate,” said Michael P. Starkowski, the deputy commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Social Services. ‘It’s a more appropriate place for a person to be.’”

CMS WILL LESSEN PROPOSED REIMBURSEMENT RATE REDUCATIONS FOR MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES' POWER WHEELCHAIRS
Friday, November 10, 2006
By Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

“CMS officials on Thursday announced that the agency will reduce proposed cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates for some power wheelchairs and scooters, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 11/9). CMS in October announced that beginning Nov. 15, it would reduce Medicare reimbursements for power wheelchairs by about 35% to help offset a significant increase in program expenditures for the devices in recent years. Manufacturers, suppliers and advocacy groups objected to the original proposal, which they said would force wheelchair makers and suppliers out of business and hamper access for disabled beneficiaries. However, CMS officials on Thursday said that they decided to revise the proposed reductions based on newer data 'that reflects the full and complete manufacturer applications, test results and attestation.'"

PUBLIC HEALTH/HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

AREAS OF CONCERN ALARM COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFF
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
By Anita Srikameswaran, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Concerns that money for Allegheny County public health programs is inadequate were brought up recently during hearings held by county council's budget and finance committee. As the council works on the 2007 budget, managers at the Allegheny County Health Department expressed fears that problems could arise in the future, said spokesman Guillermo Cole. Among the areas of concern are food safety, housing and the state of the department's buildings and salaries."

SUCCESS AT POLLS HEARTENS ANTI-SMOKING ADVOCATES
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
By Emily Bazar, USA Today

“Emboldened by victories at the polls last week, an anti-smoking group said Wednesday that it will push for more state and local smoking bans around the country. Among the victories: Voters approved statewide smoking bans in Arizona, Nevada and Ohio. At the local level, voters in Mankato, Minn., and Appleton, Wis., quashed attempts to weaken or repeal existing bans. "Election Day was huge for our movement," says Aaron Doeppers, director of the Midwest region of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Doeppers says it created momentum for smoking bans everywhere."

VOTERS' VIEWS OF THE ECONOMY: WHAT'S HEALTH CARE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
By Kaiser Public Opinion and Media Research Program

“Voters frequently cite the economy as a key issue in determining their preferences in any given election. At the same time, many people report that they are very worried about the rising costs of health care, naming it as a top personal concern. This Public Opinion Data Note focuses on how much the two points are related, and to what extent concerns about health care costs drive impressions about the economy as a whole."

HEALTH CARE POLICY & MARKETPLACE

PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT SIGN-UP KICKS IN THIS WEEK: MEDICARE PART D ROUND 2
Sunday, November 12, 2006
By Joe Fahy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Get ready for Part D, round two -- but be ready to act fast. Beginning Wednesday, many Medicare recipients will again have the opportunity to enroll in the government's prescription drug program. But unlike the last enrollment period, when Medicare beneficiaries had until May 15 to join a private plan offering Part D benefits, recipients will have only until Dec. 31 to sign up for Part D coverage. There are some exceptions to the year-end deadline, but most recipients can't drop or add Part D coverage after that date. Some beneficiaries have greater flexibility to change their coverage, including Medicare recipients who also receive Medicaid.”

WITH NEW MAJORITY IN HOUSE, DEMOCRATS PLAN TO LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES FOR MEDICARE
Thursday, November 09, 2006
By Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

“Democrats are expected to seek to pass a number of bills that address health care issues, USA Today reports. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who likely will become speaker, has said that she will seek to pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for discounts on prescription drugs within the first 100 hours after the House convenes (Appleby, USA Today, 11/9). Democrats also likely will seek to expand access to health insurance for children through the reauthorization of SCHIP (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 11/8). Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ranking member Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is expected to become chair, likely will consider legislation that would require health care providers to implement electronic health records systems and standardize EHRs to allow transmission between providers."

U.S. TIGHTENS MEDICAID RULES FOR BABIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
November 02, 2006
By Robert Pear, The New York Times

“Under a new policy, children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants with low incomes will no longer be automatically entitled to health insurance through Medicaid, federal officials said today. Doctors and hospitals said the policy change would make it more difficult for such infants, who are United States citizens, to obtain health care needed in the first year of life. Undocumented immigrants are generally barred from Medicaid, but can get coverage for treatment of emergency medical conditions, including labor and delivery. In the past, once a woman received emergency care under Medicaid for the birth of a baby, the child was deemed eligible for coverage as well, and states had to cover them for one year from the date of birth."

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