Subscribe Now: Alaska Health Policy Review
Health policy in Alaska is no small issue. Annual Health-related expenditures
in Alaska are approaching $6 billion--nearly one-sixth of the entire
Alaskan economy, but that is just the beginning: Alaska Long Term Care and
Cost Study · SB 100 · Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council ·
HB 239 · Alaska Behavioral Health Emergency Response Plan · HCR 1 ·
Certificate of Need · SB 106 · Senate Finance Committee Medicaid
program Review · HJR 10 · Alaska Physician Supply Task Force · HB 81 ·
etc.
How can you possibly stay on top of it all? Difficult if not impossible...until now. Introducing Alaska Health Policy Review, the single comprehensive, authoritative, nonpartisan source for health policy matters in the State of Alaska:
- analysis of key health policy legislation
- health-related bills tracked through committees
- exclusive interviews with influential legislators, regulators, advocates, and lobbyists
- monitors and reports Alaska health policy research
- access to an electronic reference library of Alaska health policy documents
- issued electronically weekly during the regular session, and monthly the rest of the year
- first issue debuts September 2007.
This summer a 12 month subscription to Alaska Health Policy Review
is available at an introductory price of $595. This is a 30% discount off the regular price of $850 which will be in effect beginning this
fall. Don't miss an issue! Subscribe now and pay only $1.63 per day for Alaska Health Policy Review. Send orders and inquiries to Lawrence D. Weiss at ldweiss@acpp.info, or call 907.276.2277.
The Alaska Health Policy Review is a publication of the
Alaska Center for Public Policy.
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Dear Colleague:
The Alaska Center for Public Policy has as its mission a focus on all public policy that affects low- and middle-income families and individuals in Alaska. However, my personal background is in health policy, in which I have been active for about 30 years. Add to this the fact that about 1/6 of the Alaskan economy is composed of the health industry and related services. It seemed like a natural next step to start Alaska Health Policy Review.
There is an accompanying article in this newsletter that describes the Review in a bit more depth. It will be expensive to gather, analyze, write, and produce the Alaska Health Policy Review and it has to pay for itself. However, our analysis leads us to believe that organizations, businesses, lobbyists, and policymakers will find the Review indispensible and will purchase a subscription to it. Meanwhile, the knowledge and revenues we anticipate from production and sales of the Review will find their way into our capability to serve you more effectively.
Lawrence D. Weiss Ph.D., M.S.
Executive Director
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Innovative State Programs: Models for Alaska?
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with the goal of progressive public policy for social and economic fairness. Currently, DMI is focusing on several innovative state programs that could provide very interesting models for Alaska.
Rx Plus
A program in Maine called Rx Plus allows the state to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug costs for a broad range of Maine residents. Documented savings for generic and brand-name prescription drugs range from 25-50 percent. An unusual feature of the DMI analysis of Rx Plus is that the analysis includes a description of how persistent advocacy by a number of citizens organizations pushed through the enabling legislation.
subsidy accountability law
Another innovative state program involves accountability for economic development subsidies. Across the nation billions in public dollars are doled out to private companies with little oversight and few mechanisms for ensuring the promised results. The state of Alaska and many of the communities within the state have seen their share of this type of negligence with public monies. However, the residents of Minnesota are fighting back with the nation's first subsidy accountability law. Among other elements, the law requires that public hearings must be held before business subsidies worth more than $100,000 are awarded, and businesses that fail to meet job creation and wage goals must repay the subsidy with interest, face other financial penalties, and be barred from receiving future subsidies in the state.
universal preschool program
A third innovative state policy described by DMI involves Oklahoma's universal preschool program. The Oklahoma solution involves free, voluntary enrollment for all four-year-olds statewide. The children are taught by preschool teachers who hold a bachelor's degree, are certified in early childhood education, and are required to take continuing professional education. Moreover, students receive free vision and hearing screenings. This innovative program was the result of a prolonged struggle of a coalition of teachers, parents, State Department of Education staff, childcare providers, and tribal leaders. |
The Future of Denali KidCare
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--typically from families with at least one working parent--but with family incomes that are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to purchase health insurance.
Congress must pass reauthorizing legislation within the next
several months.
Alaska would receive approximately $230 million in
added federal support for Denali KidCare during the next five years. This is
three times the amount the state would receive if SCHIP were funded
only at the 2007 level. The additional funds would provide health insurance for thousands of additional Alaskan children who need it but do not have it, and would keep pace with rising costs in health care. In addition, $230 million in new federal funding will create $82 million in increased business activity,$30 million in increased wages, and 843 additional jobs in Alaska.
The Senate vote is likely to come up this month. If you think reauthorization of SCHIP with full funding is important, please tell our Senators. Call 1-800-828-0498. A healthy future for so many Alaskan children may depend on your call.
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The Center for Policy Alternatives
The Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) describes itself as "the nation's only nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to strengthen the capacity of state legislators to lead and achieve progressive change." That would appear to be an accurate description.
The Center has just released The Progressive Agenda for the States 2007: Values & Vision for America which features 50 of the most innovative policy solutions being debated and enacted in the states. A wide range of domestic issues-including Identity Theft, Global Warming, Fair Share Health Care, Sudan Divestment, and Predatory Mortgage Lending-are covered. To purchase a hardcopy, contact Rachel Balick at rbalick@cfpa.org or call 202-956-5132. The complete publication is also available as a free PDF download (note that this is a large download of over 300 pages). This is a "do not miss!"
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