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Combating Medicaid Fraud and Abuse
To help policy makers learn about steps taken in their state and across the country, the State Health Care Spending Project created an online database containing hundreds of practices found to be promising by state and federal Medicaid agencies. more
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- Stateline Story
State Health Officials Concerned About Vaccine Shortage
On the surface, a nationwide tetanus and diphtheria vaccine shortage may not seem like such a big deal. How many people will step on a rusty nail this year? Doctors in states such as Wisconsin say the shortage is serious due to flooding in the state and related accidents, but in Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington, health experts say it's not yet a problem. But the shortfall is resulting in higher prices for states and potential problems for patients. more
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- Stateline Story
FTC Moves Forward on Rx Industry Probe
As the states and U.S. government agencies increasingly scrutinize pharmaceutical manufacturers' business practices, the Federal Trade Commission is stepping up a probe of alleged agreements that brand-name companies have made to either delay or stop the sale of generic drugs. The FTC has dedicated a "very substantial portion of resources" to a study of the industry, says Rich Feinstein, assistant director of the agency's Bureau of Competition. more
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- Stateline Story
Nursing Profession Isn't Diverse Enough, Study Finds
As troubling as the nursing shortage is for the country, experts say the profession also has another problem -- it isn't diverse enough. According to researchers at the University of California's Center for the Health Professions, nursing seriously lags in reflecting racial differences of the patients being served.. more
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- Stateline Story
Maine Rx Program Buoyed by Court Decision
Maine is moving to implement a prescription drug cost control program following a U.S. appeals court ruling against the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which had sued to block Maine Rx. Kevin Concannon, commissioner of the Maine Department of Human Services, called Wednesday's decision by a three-judge panel to lift an injunction that had put the controversial program on hold "unambiguously a grand slam." more
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- Stateline Story
Maine A Pacesetter In Rights For Disabled
In a 5-4 ruling last February, the U.S. Supreme Court held that states are exempt from the Americans With Disabilities Act, a federal law that protects handicapped citizens from job discrimination. The ruling could affect the disabled in many states, but not those who live in Maine. It acted to guarantee rights for the disabled even before Congress tackled the issue. more
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- Stateline Story
States, Women's Groups Slow To Address Women's Smoking
Lung cancer will kill nearly one in four cancer-stricken women this year, a higher rate than deaths from breast cancer, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher recently reported. Among additional stark findings of importance to the 22 million adult women who smoke in America, researchers say that tobacco companies have stepped up marketing efforts to women, stalling progress in programs that support those who try to stop smoking. Yet states and women's groups are slow in dealing with the problem. more
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- Stateline Story
New Research Rekindles Cigarette Tax Debate
With 3,000 kids in the U.S. becoming regular smokers each day, anti-tobacco groups want state legislators to up the cigarette tax so that smoking is soon out of the reach of kids and teens. All 50 states now impose such taxes, which range from 2.5 cents per pack in Virginia to a high of $1.11 per pack in New York. Tobacco manufacturers say that taxing the product is unfair to adults who choose to smoke. In addition, industry officials say there's no related reduction in youth smoking just because of a price increase. more
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- Stateline Story
SPECIAL REPORT: States Mull Suit Against Drug Companies
In an action modeled on their 1998 class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry, at least six states are poised to go to court to try to force pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription prices, law enforcement and health care officials tell Stateline.org. "The goal is nothing less than changing the way the industry does business," says Mark Schlein, director of Florida's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Attorney General's office. more
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- Stateline Story
On The Record: Drug Industry Lawyer Marjorie Powell
In the current debate that pits states against the prescription drug industry, pharmaceutical firms look to some like a proverbial big bad wolf--they huff and they puff and they keep raising prices. In an interview with Stateline.org, Marjorie Powell, who serves as Assistant General Counsel for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), tells the drug company side of the story -- in the court room, laboratory and across the country. more
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- Stateline Story
Consumers Lack Understanding Of HMOs, Survey Finds
A majority of states allow women in health maintenance organizations -- HMOs --direct access to an OB/GYN, provide consumers with an independent appeals process and have bans on gag clauses. What does all that mean? If you're not sure, you're not alone. A mere 30 percent of almost 11,000 consumers correctly identified four basic managed care features, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC), a non-partisan research group that looks at the nation's health care system. more
