'Public Health Policy'
Governor Appoints Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council
Earlier this month Governor Sarah Palin announced the appointment of 14 Alaskans to the Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council. The Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council was created under Administrative Order 232 by Governor Sarah Palin on February 15, 2007.
The purpose of the council is to develop a statewide plan to identify [...]
New Study: Children Without Health Insurance in Alaska
Highlights of the new study by FamiliesUSA on Alaskan children without health insurance…
Reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is likely to be the most important health care issue addressed on Capitol Hill this year. The highly successful program, which started in 1997, provides health coverage to millions of low-income children with family [...]
“Mandatory Universal Health Care” for Alaskans
SB 160 was introduced April 23, 2007 as “Mandatory Universal Health Care.” The bill is cosponsored by Senators Hollis French, D-Anchorage, Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, and Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage. Here is what Hollis has to say about the bill:
How Are Alaska’s Children Doing?
UAA’s Institute for Social and Economic Research often produces good research upon which public policy decisions can be intelligently discussed and formulated. Perhaps my favorite which is routinely produced is the Kids Count Alaska Data Book. Despite the title, it is not just reams of statistical data. There actually is some discussion [...]
AARP Wages Campaign in Alaska to Help Lower Medicare Drug Prices
With the aid of 89,000 members, AARP is calling on U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens to stand with the overwhelming majority of Alaskans and vote to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. Murkowski and Stevens are two of the few remaining Senators yet to publicly state their position [...]
Prescription Drug Lobby Meets 60 Minutes Expose
On Sunday, April 1, 60 Minutes will run a hard-hitting segment about the prescription drug lobby. The segment focuses on how the drug lobby’s enormous clout distorted the purposes of the new Medicare druglegislation and resulted in a prohibition that prevents Medicare from bargaining for more reasonable drug prices.
New Resource for Children’s Health Information
Statehealthfacts.org now offers a children’s health section that includes customized fact sheets for Alaska. Some of the resources included are:
Demographic Profiles for Children based on Race/Ethnicity or Citizen Status
Health Status Indicators based on Infant Mortality, Number of Births of Low Birthweight, Mothers Receiving Timely Prenatal Care, and Childhood Immunizations
Health Insurance Coverage of Children based on [...]
Study Examines Reasons Behind High U.S. Health Care Costs
A study on the U.S. health-care system released “without fanfare” earlier this year by McKinsey Global Institute, [...]