Chip in for `S-Chip’
WASHINGTON - The New York Times reported that as the U.S. mulls how to provide medical coverage to 47 million uninsured Americans, it’s right to start with our nine million uninsured children. The Bush administration is going the other way. To save money and promote a free-market philosophy, it has proposed less money for a successful children’s health insurance program run by the states. In Congress, Democratic leaders plan to cover many of those children - at $50-$60 billion over five years. That price tag seems staggering, but less so when Bush et al. pours $200 billion yearly into
Iraq
. Eliminating large overpayments to private health plans in Medicare would save $65 billion over five years. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll showed most of us think the federal government should guarantee health insurance, especially to children, and are willing to pay higher taxes for it. The issue is hot because the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or S-Chip, is up for reauthorization. It’s a federal/state effort to cover children whose family income is too high for Medicaid but too low to pay for private coverage.
COLUMBUS
,
OH
- About one in four women over 65 has suffered physical, sexual, or psychological violence due to a spouse or other intimate partner, a study found. About 3.5% of women surveyed suffered violence in the past five years; 2.2% in the past year. “Intimate partner violence isn’t a problem only for younger women,” said Amy Bonomi, study lead author and associate professor of human development and family science at
Ohio
State
University
. The study in The Gerontologist used telephone interviews of 370 women 65 and up, members of a healthcare system in western
Washington
state and northern
Idaho
. Results showed 26.5% of those surveyed reported violence by an intimate partner over their lifetimes. Of those who reported abuse, most sustained multiple types. “It was very rare that women had only one type of violence,” Bonomi said. About 18% reported sexual or physical abuse and 22% were victims of psychological abuse, including threats, called derogatory names, or having their behavior controlled by a partner. The psychological abuse experienced by women wasn’t minor, Bonomi said. About 70% of women who verbal threats said these threats were severe. Only 3% had been asked by a healthcare provider about physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner since age 18.
WASHINGTON
- Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted Explore Your Future is a week-long summer career exploration program at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf for hearing-impaired high school sophomores and juniors. This data is available at www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=81.
ST. LOUIS
- Researchers say they've developed a model that predicts which patients would most benefit from treatments to ward off glaucoma, HealthDay News disclosed. The model uses five key risk factors to predict glaucoma risk: age; pressure within the eye; cup/disc ratio (measure of appearance of the optic nerve head); thickness of the cornea; and "pattern standard deviation" - a measure derived from computerized field vision tests. "When you enter these five factors and our model is based on the average of factors between the two eyes, you can determine an individual's risk of glaucoma during the next five years," lead researcher Mae Gordon, professor in the department of ophthalmology at Washington University School of Medicine, stated. Elevated eye pressure increases the risk for open-angle glaucoma, one of the most common forms and one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, affecting about 70 million people.
WASHINGTON
- The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality joined the Advertising Council on a national public service ad campaign to encourage adults to take a more proactive role in their healthcare. Medical mistakes in hospitals cover an estimated 44,000-98,000 deaths yearly, the
Institute
of
Medicine
states. The mistakes lead to more deaths yearly than vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. Research shows consumers who get more involved with healthcare can improve their care safety greatly, but patients are generally unaware of what to do to help prevent medical errors. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found 57% of us don’t believe preventable medical errors occur often. The “Questions Are the Answer: Get More Involved With Your Healthcare” effort created pro bono by McCann Erickson/Detroit and includes a toll-free number (1-800-931-AHRQ) and Web site: www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer.
ITHACA
,
NY
- The Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) at
Cornell
University
's
ILR
School
offers online professional development courses and certificate programs in Disability, Workplace & Employment Support Practice. Each course consists of interactive multimedia presentations and downloadable PowerPoint course materials. You can take an ediONLINE course anywhere you choose with access to the Internet and a phone. There are 35 courses and seven certificate programs. Register at www.edi.cornell.edu (607-255-9364, fax:
607-255-2763
, TTY:
607-255-2891
, e-mail: sds7@cornell.edu).
LOS ANGELES - Reuters Health noted scientists developed a checklist they say could improve care for people undergoing colon cancer surgery. It's becoming increasingly important to measure the surgical care for colon cancer, as the population continues to age, said researchers from the
University
of
California
. Of 148,000 Americans diagnosed with colon cancer this year, up to 95% will have surgery to remove their tumors. To help develop uniform "quality indicators" for patient care before, during, and after surgery, the UCLA researchers reviewed medical studies and interviewed leading colon cancer experts. A panel of surgeons helped them develop a final list of 92 quality measures published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The measures cover pre- and postoperative care, plus actual surgery - including tests and other evaluations that should be performed before surgery; the best surgical techniques for removing various types of colon tumors; and steps to monitor patients' recovery.
WASHINGTON
- Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted the
CVS
Pharmacy Charitable Trust announced five-year sponsorship of the
CVS
All Kids Can Scholars Program. Each year,
CVS
will award $1,000 scholarships to five students with Autism to attend the college or trade school of their choice. The program is part of
CVS
All Kids Can, a five-year $25 million commitment by the trust and
CVS
to support children with disabilities. By encouraging students with Autism to attain a post secondary education,
CVS
hopes to increase opportunities for success and allow them to achieve their greatest potential. Information about
CVS
is at investor.cvs.com, or in the press room portion at www.cvs.com/pressroom.
EVANSTON, IL - HealthDay News noted many Americans, including college educated, have trouble interpreting instructions on prescription drug labels, a study found. Only 34.7% of people with lower literacy interviewed could determine the number of pills to take daily when faced with "take two tablets by mouth twice daily," stated the report in Annals of Internal Medicine; 9% of interviewees had trouble with "take one tablet by mouth once each day." The problem is most common with "two tablets twice daily," noted Michael S. Wolf, assistant professor of medicine at
Northwestern
University
's Feinberg School of Medicine. That’s often misinterpreted to mean "two tablets a day," he said. "Take one teaspoon twice a day for seven days" is especially confusing, he noted. It's an important issue because more Americans are taking more medications, said lead researcher Terry C. Davis, professor of medicine and pediatrics at
Louisiana
State
University
Health
Sciences
Center
. "The topic resonates because most people are taking some medication and taking them safely is important," she said.]
