MEDICAID

Administrative Costs Rising

Since the federal proof of citizenship law went into effect in July 2006, states have seen a jump in their administrative costs, according to a new report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. For example Illinois is projecting that, in the first year of implementation, it will need $16 million to $19 million to hire staff to help locate and process the citizenship documents needed by Medicaid applicants. The Arizona Legislature has allocated $10 million to cover the administrative costs of the new requirements. Washington is projecting that it will have to hire 19 additional FTEs in FY 2007 and retain those staffers for the next two years. Finally, Wisconsin is expecting to have to dole out an additional $1.8 million to cover the increased workload associated with the new requirement.

MENTAL HEALTH

Youth Suicides on the Rise

For the first time in a decade, the number of youth suicides in the United States increased, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published in the February edition of Pediatrics, the study found that suicides among teens ages 15 to 19 increased by 18 percent between 2003 and 2004. Suicide was the only cause of death for teens that increased during that time. The increase reverses the trend of a steadily decreasing youth suicide rate going back to 1990. The data do not yet show trends among specific regions, genders or ethnic groups. The CDC will release more specific data within the next two months. The report did not list specific causes for the upturn. However, some mental health experts say the rise may have been caused by a decrease in the use of anti-depressants among youth. That decrease, they say, may have come about because the Food and Drug Administration ordered that anti-depressants be labeled with warnings that the drugs may increase the risk of suicide.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Medication Usage in Tennessee

On average, Tennessee residents use more prescription drugs than anyone else in the nation, according to a report from BlueCross BlueShield Tennessee. The average Volunteer Stater receives 17.3 prescriptions per year, compared to the national average of 11.3. As a result, residents in the state spent $7 billion in 2005 on medications. In addition to filling more prescriptions, Tennesseans also have a higher rate of accidental poisonings—26 percent more than the national average. The study attributes this fact to negative drug interactions and confusion among users about the proper way to take the drugs. It offered no reasons for the higher rate of prescription drug usage.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Smoking Cessation in South Dakota

Flush with cash from a November ballot initiative, South Dakota will develop and expand programs to encourage smokers to quit. The voter-approved Initiated Measure 2 raised cigarette taxes by $1 per pack and is expected to generate an additional $41 million in revenue. Of this, $5 million will fund anti-tobacco initiatives such as QuitLine, a state-run counseling service. The state also will pay for aides such as nicotine patches, and will fund further marketing and community campaigns against smoking. Some legislators are hopeful. “This will give us a solid program, sustainable over the years,” Senator Donald Van Etten told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Senator Van Etten also noted that the $5 million, combined with current anti-smoking expenditures of $700,000, still falls short of the $8.9 million that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to properly fund anti-tobacco programs.