Commonwealth Fund State Performance Ranking: 26
AMERICAN INDIAN LEADERS are looking to the Obama administration for support in passing the Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization bill. The bill, approved by the Senate, would allocate $35 billion over the next 10 years for American Indian healthcare programs, including screening services and mental health programs, and would improve access to healthcare.
ALCOHOL AS A CAUSE OF DEATH
CANCER RATE HIGH
The report called for implementing prevention and education programs and basing treatment on cultural differences within the tribal subgroups.
In a separate study published last spring in Ethnicity & Disease, researchers surveyed 112 elders to assess their willingness to participate in a hypothetical cancer clinical trial. Factors most influencing participation included having a lead researcher of native descent, a study physician with experience in treating the groups, family support for participation and hope that the study would result in new treatments. Results indicate a "need to establish partnerships with native communities and include American Indian/Alaska Native and culturally competent professionals in research efforts."
NONPROFIT SECTOR
The Foraker Group and the Rasmuson Foundation are offering a health insurance program designed to promote a healthier nonprofit sector in Alaska. The program offers two options that will help expand coverage to underinsured individuals and families or those who currently have no insurance. Alaska's 18% uninsured rate exceeds the national average.
Under the Foraker insurance initiative, a high-deductible ($1,500) plan with a health savings account or a catastrophic indemnity plan with a $2,500 deductible are available. Both plans offer options for preventive care and prescription benefits.
The high deductible/HSA plan requires the employer to contribute at least half the annual deductible level into an individual's HSA. Both options also incorporate an individual and family wellness program that is intended to reduce the need for medical care and keep down the cost of claims. The program is available through Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska.
NURSING HOME VIOLATIONS
Every nursing home in Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington, D.C., was cited for federal health and safety violations in 2007, according to a report by the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General last fall. Nationwide, 90% of U.S. nursing homes were cited for violations. Nursing homes in Alaska had an average of 6.5 deficiencies in 2007, down from 9.5 in 2006.
According to the report, the most common deficiencies nationwide centered on quality-of-care measures, including treatment and prevention of bedsores and urinary tract infections.
MHE Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Urban Institute; Kaiser Family Foundation; U.S. Census Bureau; The Commonwealth Fund.
35th World AIDS Day Marks 20 Years of PEPFAR: Challenges and Strategies to Combat HIV/AIDS
November 29th 2023PEPFAR, having invested $100 billion and saved 25 million lives in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, faces Congressional hurdles in its reauthorization due to abortion debates. Despite widespread support and no evidence of abortion-related activities, the legislative process is at a standstill. Members of PEPFAR and authors of a recent editorial stress the significance of PEPFAR and advocate for integrating behavioral and social science into healthcare programs to achieve UNAIDS targets and address barriers in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment.
Read More
Bridging the Diversity Gap in Rare Disease Clinical Trials with Harsha Rajasimha of IndoUSrare
November 8th 2023Briana Contreras, an editor with Managed Healthcare Executive, spoke with Harsha Rajasimha, MD, founder and executive chairman of IndoUSrare, in this month's episode of Tuning in to the C-Suite podcast. The conversation was about how the disparity in diversity and ethnicity in rare disease clinical trials in the U.S. has led to gaps in understanding diseases and conditions, jeopardizing universal health, and increasing the economic burden of healthcare.
Listen
Managing Editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, Peter Wehrwein, had a discussion with William Shrank, M.D., a venture partner with Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, about how artificial intelligence's role is improving healthcare, where we are today with value-based care and the ongoing efforts of reducing waste in the healthcare space for this episode of the "What's on Your Mind" podcast series.
Listen