The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives about

Cities, States Face Off on Mandatory Paid Sick Leave

Stateline - NYC and Portland will require businesses to provide paid sick leave. But many states are less than enthusiastic.

Infographic: Spending on Public Health Drops

Our public health systems are meant to be at the forefront of prevention, but state and federal investments are shrinking.

Congress May Reverse Some of Sequester’s Cuts to WIC

An effort to keep the federal government open could also deliver relief to pregnant women, mothers and young children in need of food.

Stateline: Traffic Death Rates Across the States

States with high rates of traffic deaths tend to have a large network of rural roads, low seat belt usage, a high percentage of deaths caused by drunk drivers and a high number of fatal accidents involving speed. Stateline reports.

Health Care Cuts From Vaccinations to Research

Automatic cuts to federal health-care programs may make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.

Kentucky Governor Calls for Public Smoking Ban

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has called for a ban on smoking in certain public places, an effort to improve the state’s dismal public health record and to cut down on health care costs.

State Lawmakers Push Crackdown on Cancer-Causing Radon

Legislation filed in Iowa and Nebraska, and a proposal taking shape in Utah aim to reduce people’s exposure to radon, which kills about 21,000 people each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Pennsylvania Governor Wants State to Exit Liquor Business, Use Proceeds for Schools

Corbett on Wednesday unveiled a plan that would remove Pennsylvania from liquor business and funnel to schools proceeds from the sale of alcohol licenses.

Following Outbreak, Massachusetts Seeks Tougher Oversight of Compounding Pharmacies

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has unveiled legislation aiming to plug a regulatory gap that allows compounding pharmacies to operate with little oversight.

Big Drug Compounders Poorly Regulated

Tainted medicine made by a New England pharmacy has killed at least 39 people and triggered a debate about how best to regulate the nation’s drug supply.

Prescription Databases Weigh Public Health Against Patient Privacy

Prescription drug monitoring programs are a popular tool for states looking to combat prescription abuse, but not all databases are used the same way.

Texas Cancer Agency Fights Controversy

The state’s $3 billion effort to attack cancer is under fire for the way some awards have been made.

To Raise Revenue, Raise Tobacco Taxes, Kentucky Commission Says

Kentucky’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform recommended the state increase its cigarette tax from 60 cents to $1 per pack, along with a proportional hike on other forms of tobacco.

Michigan Addresses Head Injuries in Youth Sports

Michigan is poised to join the growing list of states addressing head injuries in youth sports.

N.J. Lawmaker to Replacement Refs: ‘Keep Out’

New Jersey’s Senate president plans to introduce legislation that would ban the use of replacement officials in professional sporting events played on state soil.

Florida Law Requires Public Hospitals to Justify Their Tax-Supported Status

A scandal in one Florida public hospital puts all of them in the spotlight

Florida Governor Appeals Ruling On Law Barring Doctors From Asking About Guns

Governor Rick Scott has appealed a court ruling that blocked Florida from implementing a law prohibiting doctors from asking patients about guns.

Medicaid Anti-Smoking Program Saved Big Money, Study Says

HEALTH BEAT: It's long been thought that stopping people from smoking yields rewards only in the distant future. New research disputes that theory.

Transition to Electronic Medical Records Gradually Taking Hold

Old-style general practitioners can be a little nervous about switching to computerized medicine. But a surprising number of them are willing to try.

Water Fluoridation: Frequently Asked Questions

The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign supports water fluoridation because it’s one of the most cost effective strategies for states and communities to improve the oral health of their residents. Although a number of communities in the U.S. have been fluoridating their

State Choking Laws Signal New Attention to Domestic Violence

Advocates against domestic violence have long warned that the act of choking - a common method of domestic assault - can be among the most reliable predictors that a deadly attack will occur in the future. Hoping to crack down on batterers and prevent murders, New Hampshire and Delaware recently joined other states by increasing penalties for choking. The laws are part of a broader effort in the states to reduce domestic violence.

Rhode Island's Medicaid Gamble

A small state has launched a big experiment to cap Medicaid spending by keeping seniors at home and out of more costly nursing facilities. And the effort is getting high marks - so far.

Patchy Public Health

When cases of swine flu began to show up in Maine last year, the state health department diverted three-quarters of its staff to an inoculation campaign and put other infectious disease prevention programs on a back burner. In Minnesota, restaurant inspectors pitched in to help deliver vaccines and hundreds of Los Angeles County health workers set aside prevention programs for tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases to lend a hand. In a year when flagging state and local economies forced major cuts in public health spending, federal grants for disease prevention and emergency preparedness failed to fill the breach, according to a new report from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health, which advocate for increased health spending.

Summary of the Wisconsin State of the State Address

It's been a difficult year for Wisconsin, but Gov. Jim Doyle (D) struck an upbeat tone during his Jan. 26 state of the state address. Despite budget cuts, furloughs and pay and hiring freezes, Doyle warned that more cuts were on the horizon, although he vowed to continue "protecting education, health care and public safety and protecting the middle class against tax increases."

States Applaud New Stem Cell Funding

President Obama's March 9 move to allow federal funding for stem-cell research is expected to greatly benefit states such as California that already have invested in the controversial science. But the decision - which lifts an eight-year-old ban by the Bush administration - will give nearly all states a shot at job-creating new grants in the multi-billion-dollar emerging biomedical field.

Parents' Income, Education Affect Kids' Health

A new report finds that the health of American children is a matter of concern, made worse by the disparities that exist between kids in low- and high-income families. Children's parents and their surroundings have a huge effect on whether they grow up healthy, and whether they live past their first year.

Health Care Reform Goes to Voters

Also see: • A detailed guide to candidates and ballot issues• A comprehensive list of state elections• A printable PDF of major ballot issues As presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama push their national agendas to help cover more uninsured Americans, voters in three states will get, for the first time, the chance to make dramatic changes to their own states' health care systems when they go to the polls Nov. 4.

Delegates Speak: Nebraska on Health Insurance

Nebraska delegateLogan Dobbs Aug. 29, 2008, 2:30 p.m. EDTQ. What serious issue in your state would you like the next president to address? For people my age, if we can't get (health insurance) from our parents, we're pretty much out of luck. I'm active. I work out. I play basketball. If I injure myself I can't afford to pay to get myself fixed. -Nebraska delegate Logan Dobbs, 22, Hastings College, senior, interviewed by Stephen C. Fehr, Stateline.orgComments

Parents Turn to States for Autism Help

(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs.

Fire-safe cigarette laws spread quickly

Cigarettes sold in 21 states will be self-extinguishing after a strikingly high 15 states passed new laws this year to combat smoking-related blazes, the No. 1 cause of home-fire deaths.

NYC Ban on Trans Fats Spreads to States

HARTFORD, Conn. -- State lawmakers nationwide want to trim the fat, and they aren't talking about budgets this time. Following the lead of New York City, 12 states have proposed bans on the use of trans fats in restaurants or schools.

FDA Ruling Puts Pharmacists in Crossfire

The latest fireworks over the "morning-after pill" weren't in Congress, or at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but in Kent, Wash., at last week's meeting of the normally obscure state Board of Pharmacy. The FDA's decision to let women over age 18 buy emergency birth control pills without a prescription thrusts pharmacists - more than ever - into the middle of the hot social policy dispute and may shove additional issues into state policy-makers' laps.

How Tough Are Nursing Home Inspectors?

State inspections found that a third of all nursing homes have food sanitation problems, and that nursing homes in California, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia and Hawaii scored more bad marks on state inspections than in other states in 2004. But experts say it's still hard to know whether trends seen in the federal database of state inspection reports are changes in the quality of care or differences in how states inspect.

States Target Elder Abuse

An estimated 5 million U.S. seniors are victims of physical abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation each year, and states response varies. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski is making prevention of elder abuse a top priority this year. Some states already require medical personnel and bankers to report suspected elder abuse. But six states dont require any mandatory reporting.

Some States Easing Flu Vaccine Restrictions

After several weeks of scrambling to find and ration flu vaccine amid a nationwide shortage, many states are reporting unexpected surpluses of vaccine and several are easing restrictions on who can get vaccine from private providers.

Flu Shot Shortage Vexes State Officials

The nationwide shortage of flu vaccine tossed a health management crisis onto the shoulders of state health officials, governors and attorneys general, who are trying to inventory, ration, coax or even threaten their way into getting vaccine to those who need it most.

States Brace for Another Bout with West Nile Virus

Public health officials across the states are bracing for another onslaught of West Nile virus, the disease of African origin that infected nearly 10,000 people in 45 states in 2003 and has already resulted in one death and caused 57 people to fall ill this year. This summers mosquito season is expected to produce the most severe outbreak of the disease yet and hit particularly hard in the Plains states and on the West Coast.

Legislators Weighing School Soda Bans

State lawmakers throughout the country are introducing legislation to ban soda from school vending machines to help curb the growing rate of childhood obesity. But at a time when cash-strapped states are cutting education budgets, opponents of the bans say schools need the soda revenue more than ever.

Delaware, Florida Move to Restrict Smoking

Delaware recently became the second state to ban smoking in the workplace, following Californias landmark legislation in 1994, and Florida is expected to follow suit soon. The passage of Delaware's ban surprised opponents, who thought the issue wouldnt resonate beyond the West Coast.

States Help Smokers Quit By Telephone

What do South Dakota and 32 other states have in common? The answer is surprisingly successful telephone hotlines that help smokers kick the habit.

Cigarette Taxes, Public Health Show Little Correlation

Twenty-one states are mulling cigarette tax increases to help ease the pain of massive budget shortages. New York and Connecticut governors have already okayed such taxes, with increases of 39 and 61 cents per pack respectively. Proponents of higher tobacco taxes say upping the rates will improve the health of citizens. But health experts say the tax must be coupled with prevention programs that help people quit smoking and make sure young people don't start.

Public Health, Rx Bills Top State Agendas

Bioterrorism and public health measures arising from the threat of further terrorist attacks loom as high priority issues for states to address this year. They come to the forefront at a time when there may not be enough money in state coffers to support other new healthcare programs or expansions.

Lawmakers Not Keen on 'Model' Public Health Law

State legislators have rejected a "model public health law" crafted by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities with help from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Northeast States Combat West Nile Virus

Wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants, staying indoors as much as possible--these are not habits usually associated with the dog days of August. They might be something to get used to, however. Along with wearing bug spray, these suggestions are often-mentioned precautions to ward off the West Nile virus. As the summer winds down and the mosquito season reaches its peak, the mosquito-borne virus is clearly present in states along the Eastern Seaboard. And experts predict it is here to stay.

States Get New Funds To Care For Poor With HIV-AIDS

More financial help is on the way for poor and uninsured Americans with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. As of this month, states are eligible for $794 million in new federal grants to improve primary care and access to medicine for low-income, underinsured and uninsured HIV-positive people.

States On Guard For West Nile Virus

This week, New York City renews its war on the West Nile virus -- the mosquito-borne disease that killed 7 New Yorkers and sickened 55 others without warning last summer. As the city gears up to ward off another outbreak, states on the Eastern Seaboard and in the southeast are putting plans into place to guard against the virus as well.