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Viewing Category: Health Care
Arizona joins suit against Bush over kids' health carePHOENIX -- Arizona and at least seven other states are asking a federal judge to overturn new regulations by the Bush administration limiting the growth of the federal children's health program.
Permalink [Filed under: Health Care]Posted by Editor at 01:59 PM
Lawmakers must OK health coverage for kidsOur view: Wrangling, threat of Bush veto jeopardize bill backed 17-4 by Senate panel to expand health insurance for poor ....Permalink [Filed under: Child Care, Families, Health Care, Legislature, Opinion]Wrangling over political philosophy could leave 6.6 million low-income children who depend on the State Children's Health Insurance Program without health coverage if lawmakers cannot agree and reauthorize the bill before it expires Sept. 30.
The health and well-being of America's children should not be used as a football in an ideological drive to privatize medical insurance. The decade-old federal program, dubbed SCHIP, now costs $5 billion a year and covers kids whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid — but not enough to buy private health insurance coverage.
A bipartisan bill approved 17-4 earlier this month by the Senate Finance Committee— with Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl voting against it — would continue the baseline payments of $25 billion over five years and add $35 billion to maintain health care for the 6.6 million kids now on SCHIP and expand coverage to another 3.2 million low-income kids who don't have medical coverage for another five years.
Posted by Editor at 07:55 AM
Napolitano: Bush budget puts kids' health care at riskIt will take $14 billion over the next five years to maintain the State Children's Health Insurance Program -- much more than the $5 billion the president has included in his budget.Permalink [Filed under: Child Care, Families, Governor, Health Care]---
PHOENIX -- Thousands of Arizona children of the working poor will lose their health insurance within two years if President Bush gets his way on the federal budget, Gov. Janet Napolitano warned Monday.
President Bush wants to increase funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program over the next five years by $5 billion, bringing total spending over the period to about $30 billion. And he has threatened to veto anything with a larger price tag.
Posted by Editor at 12:47 AM
Governors step up push for children's health fundingTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The nation's governors are pushing the Bush administration to boost federal spending on a health insurance program serving low-income children.Permalink [Filed under: Child Care, Health Care]Gov. Janet Napolitano says the governors have been very firm that the State Children's Health Insurance Program is their number one health care priority at the federal level.
Napolitano is wrapping up her term as chairwoman of the organization.
Posted by Editor at 10:24 PM
Kyl votes against children's health funding through tobacco tax hikeU.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona was among a handful of Republicans to vote against a proposed expansion of children's health program by boosting tobacco taxes.Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Kyl]The Senate Finance Committee voted Thursday to hike federal taxes on cigarettes and cigars, and to use those funds to allocate billions of dollars to the Children's Health Insurance Program, which offers health coverage for uninsured children of the working poor.
Democrats and some Republicans on the panel voted for the measure.
Posted by Editor at 08:09 PM
X-ray machine may thwart TB epidemicPHOENIX -- State health officials are buying a portable X-ray machine in hopes of preventing an epidemic of tuberculosis.Permalink [Filed under: Health Care]Wil Humble, the state's assistant director of public health, said Arizona's homeless population is most at risk for catching active TB because they don't have regular access to health care. And he said the close living situation in many shelters makes it much easier to spread.
But Humble said it would be wrong to see this strictly as a problem for the homeless.
Posted by Editor at 07:45 AM
New law to remedy ‘doctor shoppers’Arizona soon will have a new tool to crack down on prescription drug abusers who move from doctor to doctor asking for pain killers.Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Legislature, Prescription drugs]Under a new bill signed this week by Gov. Janet Napolitano, the state can set up a computerized monitoring system to track when patients are using more than one doctor to get certain prescription drugs — a practice commonly referred to as “doctor shopping”.
Until now, drug abusers who visit various doctors and pharmacies to fill the same prescription multiple times were able to avoid detection because doctors and pharmacies were unable to share information.
Posted by Editor at 07:32 PM
Grijalva voices support of National HIV Testing DayOne of Arizona’s congressional representatives announced his support for a national day to take an HIV test.Permalink [Filed under: Grijalva, Health Care]U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said on June 27 that he is backing a National HIV Testing Day.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are currently living with HIV/AIDS. About 25% of these individuals do not know they are infected which could potentially lead to the spread of the disease.
Posted by Editor at 08:40 AM
Respite care in demand despite $20M budget; governor creates program...They provide more than three-fourths of all care for people with chronic, longterm illnesses or disabilities...
“If you take that away, our system would come to a grinding halt,” said David Best, caregiver resource specialist with the state Department of Economic Security. “The workload and the stress is off the charts.”Permalink [Filed under: Budget, Governor, Health Care]So it is that caregivers are at greater risk for disease and depression themselves. They’re forced to take time off work and face lower wages, less job security and shrinking retirement benefits.
Caregivers tell researchers that what they need most is an afternoon or a weekend off from their 24/7, emotionally draining, physically demanding jobs. Respite has been shown to improve the health of caregivers and, in turn, make them better
Posted by Editor at 08:34 AM
Democrats, nurses to host 'Sicko' screeningsThe Maricopa County Democratic Party and a group of Phoenix nurses affiliated with the California Nurses Association will host screenings of Moore's film "Sicko."Permalink [Filed under: Democrats, Health Care]The left-wing filmmaker examines issues including private insurance coverage, how America's profit-based, private health system compares to government-run systems that offer universal care in Europe, Australia and Japan.
The nurses will host a screening of "Sicko" on June 29 at the AMC Ahwatukee 24 theaters.
Posted by Editor at 07:59 AM
Veterans home's restrictions liftedPHOENIX — The federal Department of Veterans Affairs has lifted referral restrictions placed on the state veterans home in the wake of shortcomings of care reported earlier this year at the facility in Phoenix, the home's parent department announced Wednesday.problems found by state and federal inspection teams during separate visits to the 200-bed home earlier this year.The action by officials of the federal agency's medical center in Phoenix means the state home is in compliance with federal and state standards and can again admit new patients, the state Department of Veterans' Services said.
A letter sent by federal officials to a home official commended the staff for "diligence and hard work" in resolving
Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 06:22 AM
2 cases stirring TB fearsIn Phoenix, a man sits in a hospital isolation unit, terrified he is about to die.In Denver, the first person in the United States to face a federal quarantine order since 1963 might need portions of his lungs removed.
The two men have one thing in common: a virulent strain of drug-resistant tuberculosis that has sent waves of alarm across the country about the risk of contracting the disease and the government's ability to stop it.
The cases have heightened worries among health officials, left airline passengers voicing concerns over international travel and sparked worldwide news coverage. Tuberculosis was thought to be a plague of the past here, a threat only in developing countries.
Continue reading "2 cases stirring TB fears"
Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Law Enforcement, Prison]Posted by Editor at 07:09 AM
Undeterred Napolitano wants bigger health planPHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano will ask lawmakers for an even bigger government health-care program next year than the one they rejected this year.Permalink [Filed under: Governor, Health Care]Her proposal would have covered children in families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level — more than $60,000 a year for a family of four. The law now sets the cutoff at twice the poverty level. But funding to do that is not in the budget passed by House Republicans or the bipartisan Senate version of.
Napolitano said she already is putting together plans for next year to help cover more adults who are without insurance, as well as more children.
Posted by Editor at 07:28 AM
ACLU files lawsuit against county for treatment of TB patientA federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union alleges that Maricopa County officials have violated the rights of a quarantined tuberculosis patient for months by treating him as a criminal.The U.S. District Court complaint on behalf of Robert Daniels alleges health officials and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office have violated numerous constitutional rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The suit asks that Daniels be housed in appropriate accommodations, rather than the severe and "inhumane" jail conditions.
Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Law Enforcement, Prison]
Posted by Editor at 07:06 AM
Deal reached in antitrust suit against Arizona hospital groupState and federal prosecutors have reached an agreement with the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association in a lawsuit that alleged the hospital group fixed wages for nursing registries in violation of antitrust laws.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Health Care, Judiciary]The settlement, announced Tuesday, prohibits the association and hospitals from agreeing on contract terms, including salaries for temporary nurses.
It also bans the association and its subsidiary, which contracts with nursing registries, from discriminating against agencies or hospitals that don’t use the service.
Posted by Editor at 12:55 AM
Roe vs. Wade remains a defining issuePoliticians, high court renew abortion debate
Three decades ago, a youthful John Jakubczyk joined the Right to Life front lines as a "sidewalk counselor."Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Reproductive Rights]The U.S. Supreme Court had just legalized abortion, and Jakubczyk wanted to do all he could to talk women out of the procedure.
Gloria Feldt was championing the civil rights and feminist movements as one of the first five members of the National Organization for Women in western Texas. She wanted women to feel empowered to make their own choices.
Posted by Editor at 07:29 AM
State Senate would block cervical-cancer shot for girlsState lawmakers made a pre- emptive strike Wednesday to block health officials from requiring that teenage girls get a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Legislature]As states across the country debate the merits of making the vaccine for human papillomavirus, or HPV, mandatory for schoolchildren, the Arizona Senate has inserted an unusual prohibition in its bipartisan budget proposal. It would prevent health officials from even having that conversation here.
The issue: HPV, which causes about 70 percent of all cervical cancer, is a sexually transmitted disease.
Posted by Editor at 02:42 AM
3 companies vie for $1.4 billion state health contractThe Arizona Department of Health Services soon will decide which of three companies it will choose to manage public behavioral health services for 70,000 Maricopa County residents.Permalink [Filed under: Budget, Health Care, State]The $1.4 billion, three-year contract is the largest of its kind in the nation.
Posted by Editor at 07:05 AM
Biggest Gambler: Giuliani or McCain?By Peter Bakke, editor, AZPoliticalNews.com & ElectaPres.com
This week, Time Magazine wrote,
Rudy Giuliani's decision to be more forthright about his pro-choice stance on abortion may be the boldest step of the Presidential campaign so far.
This might be true, but one could argue that Sen. McCain might be the bigger gambler by hitching his pro-war wagon to the conflict in Iraq in general and the 'surge' in particular.
It will take weeks or months before we find out who the better gambler is, but in the meantime both candidates appear to be losing ground in the polls to Mitt Romney while they wait for their bets to pay off.
Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, Health Care, Iraq, McCain, Military, Reproductive Rights]Posted by Editor at 10:55 AM
Nothing to Cheer AboutSmoking ban violates business owner’s property rights.
We have been inundated with stories about the statewide smoking ban that went into effect last week. Reports indicated that patrons cheered at some establishments when the ban became effective on May 1st. The Arizona Republic noted, “The air in the Valley just got a little bit clearer, at least inside.”Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Legislature]But the law was never really about breathing healthy air. It was about a majority imposing its will on an unpopular minority. And it’s not the smokers I’m talking about.
Posted by Editor at 08:59 AM
Ousted Ariz. official: Veteran Home was no Walter ReedConditions at the Arizona State Veteran Home were blown out of proportion by the shadow of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal, the former director of the state Department of Veterans' Services said Thursday.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]Patrick Chorpenning came out swinging during a legislative hearing, blaming the media, the Legislature, the governor and the state Department of Health Services for equating the home's conditions with widely reported problems at Walter Reed.
"Everybody made it into Walter Reed," Chorpenning, an injured Vietnam War veteran, told lawmakers. "And my one-legged butt was thrown under the train."
Posted by Editor at 08:09 AM
Drug import blockade: Kyl says yes, McCain misses voteThe U.S. Senate voted Monday to block purchases by consumers seeking to buy less expensive, foreign prescription drugs.Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Kyl, McCain]U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl,. R-Ariz., voted for the drug importation blockade, which passed 49 to 40 and was a big win for U.S. pharmaceutical companies that support restrictions on foreign drugs.
Posted by Editor at 01:49 AM
House kills malpractice billOn a tie vote, the House of Representatives this afternoon killed a bill that would have made it harder for people to sue for medical malpractice.Permalink [Filed under: Health Care, Legislature]But it's likely that SB1032 will be brought back for another vote before lawmakers wrap up the legislative session.
Posted by Editor at 02:02 AM
State vets home in compliance with care standardsState investigators say the Arizona State Veteran Home now is complying with care standards, an announcement welcomed by the facility.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]During an assessment last week, inspectors focused on the problems documented in February, including call lights going unanswered and residents found smoking unsupervised. None of those problems was found again, said Sylvia Balistreri, program manager for long-term care licensing for the state Department of Health Services.
The state is recommending to a federal agency that the home be allowed to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients again.
Posted by Editor at 02:00 AM
State plan would give $3.5 mil to vets homeThe Arizona State Veteran Home could get funding from state lawmakers for the first time in years to help it address low staffing and other problems made public in a critical inspection of the facility earlier this year.A bipartisan budget proposal in the Senate calls for $3.5 million for the home next year. Republican leaders in the House said they likely will add Veteran Home funding to their spending list. Members of a special legislative panel looking into problems at the home said that they, too, will recommend more funding for the home, although by law the facility is supposed to be self-sustaining.
Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 09:13 AM
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