State Health Notes January 2005

State Health Notes
January 2005 Issues

Volume 26, Number 436: January 24, 2005

Cover Story - The Fight Over Sex Education: Lawmakers Seek to Protect their Kids
Many state legislatures are wrestling with one of the toughest ideological battles around: what schools should teach kids about sex. Should schools tell teens to abstain from sex, or should they include information on contraception? Federal funding for teaching abstinence is rising, making those programs more available.

State Speak - An Interview with Robert Kane, MD.
The U.S. must make its long-term care system more humane, says Dr. Robert Kane, an expert in aging at the University of Minnesota. Long-term care workers must be given more respect, and services must be available in many settings, not just nursing homes. An interview.

Highlights
TennCare dismantled...Malpractice fight in MD...CT/OR uninsured rates climb...OK subsidy plan...OH’s Best Rx...Drug company discounts...Dietary guidelines...OK birth rates.

Graphically Speaking - Lowering the Cost of Health Care Tops List of Priorities for Americans
Americans want Congress to increase access to coverage. But they’re divided on whether they would be willing to pay more to do so. A new Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard poll.

FYI - Rapid Opiate Detox Experiences a Revival
Rapid opiate detox involves anesthetizing an addict and using drugs to strip opiates from pleasure receptors in the brain. The usual and customary cost of the controversial procedure is $15,000 per “scrubbing.”

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Volume 26, Number 435: January 10, 2005

Cover Story - With Costs Rising, States Seek to Avoid Reducing Coverage for State Employees
As health-care costs rise, states are coming to grips with the same issues that private employers face: how much should they make state employees contribute to coverage, what procedures and conditions should they cover, and how can they determine which providers and plans offer the most cost-effective care?

Behavioral Health News - States Testing Programs to Help Violent Offenders Reenter Society
Fifty states, D.C. and the Virgin Islands are testing new ways to help serious and violent offenders reintegrate into society.

Highlights
NH recoups Medicaid funds...WI sees drop in BadgerCare enrollees...Reimporting not cost-effective...Canada threatens to stop exporting drugs...Class weigh-in...Illicit drug use down...NM grants psychologist Rx rights...New MI treatment law...Cigarettes and college kids.

Graphically Speaking - State High-Risk Pools Go Mainstream
State high-risk pools are coming of age, says a new book. Thirty-three states have such pools, and the number is growing.

FYI - Assessing Public Health Through Biomonitoring
A look at biomonitoring, which measures chemicals such as lead and mercury in the human body to assess the relationship between exposure and adverse health effects.

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