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A Selection Of Viewpoints And Perspectives
A Red State Booster Shot - The Washington Post
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Group Health Cooperative Shows Investing In More Primary Care Pays For Itself
An evaluation of recent innovations in delivering primary care at a Group Health Cooperative medical center shows significant success and rapid return on investment. The data led to a decision to invest in these best practices in all of Group Health"s 26 medical centers by 2010.
News of the day
New Jersey Senate, Assembly Panels Advance Autism Coverage Bill
Committees in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would provide insurance benefits of up to $36,000 annually for autism treatments, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The funding, provided to developmentally disabled individuals younger than age 21, would go toward diagnostic services and early behavioral intervention, as well as occupational, physical and speech therapies. The Assembly could vote on the bill as early as Thursday, while the Senate bill is being considered by the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D), who sponsored the Senate bill, said, "I don"t know of any parent who wouldn"t do everything in their power to give their autistic or developmentally disabled child every chance to excel. However, the enormous cost of behavior intervention ... makes it out of the realm of possibility for many families." Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D), who sponsored the Assembly bill, said, "In this economy, every New Jersey resident is struggling, but families with kids with special needs are struggling even more," adding, "They"re maxing out their credit cards and taking out second mortgages" to cover gaps in health insurance benefits.Citing cost issues, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and the New Jersey Association of Health Plans were among those opposed to the bill. Christine Stearns, NJBIA vice president for health and legal affairs, said that the bill would make employer-sponsored insurance more costly and cause firms to drop such coverage, adding, "How, who and what is part of a basic health plan is all part of that." Stearns added that the bill is preferable to previous versions because it mandates that covered services be medically necessary and prescribed, places a reasonable cap on prices and ensures that the cost of educational services provided by schools is not shifted to insurers. Roberts said the bill would save money by delivering earlier treatment that could prevent more costly problems in the future (Henry, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/19).
Nutrition

World Food Programme Calls For Urgent Action On Global Hunger And Humanitarian Needs

The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Josette Sheeran, has urged G8 Development Ministers meeting today in Italy, to remember the needs of the world"s hungriest people and continue to support WFP, which depends entirely on voluntary donations. "We must not forget the urgent hunger needs around the world, or cut back on support for hungry people. The world"s most vulnerable are being hit by the combined effects of the global financial downturn and stubbornly high food prices in many developing world markets. Hunger can lead to dangerous destabilisation, and impact global peace and security." "With one in six people going hungry, one child dying every six seconds, and 80 per cent of Sub-Saharan African countries facing higher food prices than a year ago, the poor and the hungry are facing one of the biggest crises in our lifetimes. It is critical for the world to remember that hunger will have a permanent impact on children and we may lose a generation unless they have adequate access to nutrition during this crisis." "We support the efforts of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to double global food production by 2050. At the same time we must remember, as the Nobel laureate and eminent economist, Amartya Sen has said, famine is an issue of food access for individuals. Without food, people revolt, migrate, or die. None of these are acceptable options." "After the Great Depression, the world created institutions, including World Food Programme, which should expand - not contract - when times are bad. Global food aid is at a 20 year low and we must meet urgent needs to avoid an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. At this moment of dramatically growing need, it would be wrong to cut our funding. We have proven our ability to scale up when the world calls on us and equips us with the means to do so. We have also shown that we can do this in a way that supports recipient nations" own long term development strategies to tackle hunger." World Food Programme


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