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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Rising Prescription Drug Costs: What Is Involved And What Can Be Done?, James Carroll
Rising Prescription Drug Costs: What Is Involved And What Can Be Done?, James Carroll
Maine Policy Review
The rapid rise of prescription drug costs in the United States has triggered heated debate at the federal and state levels about how to control costs and expand access for those in need. In part, the United States finds itself in this situation because, unlike most countries throughout the world, the federal government thus far has refused to exact federal price restrictions on pharmaceutical products. James Carroll argues that this has left each state in the difficult position of trying to leverage lower costs and expanded access for its citizens. In this article, Carroll provides an overview of these attempts, …
The Human Face Of Housing Policy For Rural Elders In Maine, Sandra S. Butler
The Human Face Of Housing Policy For Rural Elders In Maine, Sandra S. Butler
Maine Policy Review
Sandra Butler reflects on the ways in which the older households she has been encountering in her recent in-depth research in Washington County match those described by Stephen Golant in his article in this issue on the needs of elderly homeowners and the solutions to those needs. Butler’s research is based on extensive interviews with volunteers and clients of the Senior Companion Program, which has as one of its primary purposes helping elders remain in their homes as long as possible. Butler notes that she was surprised to learn how many subsidized housing complexes exist in Washington County. A number …
Dirigo Health: A Small Business Perspective, Deborah Cook
Dirigo Health: A Small Business Perspective, Deborah Cook
Maine Policy Review
In her commentary Deborah Cook, executive director of the Maine Small Business Alliance, discusses Dirigo Health from the viewpoint of small businesses, whose employees and families, along with the self-employed, represent the largest proportion of uninsured in Maine’s population. She notes that rising costs of health care and insurance are a major threat to the viability of small businesses.
The Challenge Of Preserving And Expanding Affordable Health Care In Maine, Wendy Wolf
The Challenge Of Preserving And Expanding Affordable Health Care In Maine, Wendy Wolf
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s health care system is in crisis. The state’s health care expenditures represent the third highest percentage of Gross Domestic Product in the nation; state health care spending is projected to top $11 billion per year, or $8,291 per person per year, over the next seven years; businesses in Maine pay 12-23% more for coverage than the national and New England state averages; and, the state’s uninsured and vulnerable populations continue to grow. In this article, Wendy Wolf charts the rising cost of health care in Maine and the implications of these costs for all Mainers. In turn, she looks …
The Changing Nature Of Long-Term Care In Maine, Paul Saucier, Julie Fralich
The Changing Nature Of Long-Term Care In Maine, Paul Saucier, Julie Fralich
Maine Policy Review
The increase in the proportion of older adults, many with one or more chronic medical conditions, will increase the demand for long-term care. Paul Saucier and Julie Fralich discuss the socio-demographic factors affecting long-term care policy, and describe various state and federal options for providing and financing long-term care. They note that Maine’s long-term care system has so far been able to absorb considerable growth in people by serving increasing numbers in lower-cost settings. Cost sharing has been introduced, and tax policy has been changed to provide incentives for long-term care insurance. Policymakers must now consider whether the current balance …
Getting Creative About Elderly Housing, Frank O’Hara
Getting Creative About Elderly Housing, Frank O’Hara
Maine Policy Review
In his commentary on Stephen Golant’s article in this issue, Frank O’Hara notes that Golant has very successfully identified the problems of some older homeowners. However, he suggests that the solution Golant proposes—government-assisted rental housing—may apply to only a few members of the group. Moreover, very little government-subsidized rental housing is being built or planned in Maine. Using Golant’s data, O’Hara extrapolates that affordability is the primary problem for older Maine homeowners. He notes that very few are interested in the public policy alternative that would best meet their needs, namely reverse mortgages. However, he observes that older Maine homeowners …
Dirigo Health, Sharon Anglin Treat, Michael Brennan, Ann Woloson
Dirigo Health, Sharon Anglin Treat, Michael Brennan, Ann Woloson
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s pioneering Dirigo Health program aims at reducing health care costs, improving quality, and increasing access by providing health insurance coverage to all of Maine’s currently uninsured population. State senators Sharon Treat and Michael Brennan and co-author Ann Woloson provide an overview of the components, structure and financing of the program. They discuss some of the challenges and opportunities posed in Dirigo Health’s implementation, and give an insider’s perspective on the process by which the program was enacted.
Dirigo Health: Its Opportunities And Obstacles, Godfrey Wood
Dirigo Health: Its Opportunities And Obstacles, Godfrey Wood
Maine Policy Review
No abstract provided.
Revitalizing Maine’S Service Centers, John Melrose
Revitalizing Maine’S Service Centers, John Melrose
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s 77 “service center” municipalities account for a large proportion of all the state’s consumer retail sales, jobs, services, and tax revenues from income, sales and property taxes, and are home to most of the state’s higher education and health care institutions. However, John Melrose points out that Maine’s public policy turns “worse than a blind eye” to these communities. He presents the policy recommendations put forth in a strategic plan by the Maine Service Centers Coalition for supporting and strengthening service centers. These include leveling the financial playing field between service centers and other communities; improving local government administration …
School Size Choices: Comparing Small And Large School Strengths, Janet C. Fairman
School Size Choices: Comparing Small And Large School Strengths, Janet C. Fairman
Maine Policy Review
Janet Fairman discusses the thorny issue of school quality, suggesting that small schools have certain strengths compared to larger schools. Data from her study of small high schools in Maine, as well as research literature, suggest that compared to large schools, small schools allow for greater personal attention to students, have greater flexibility in scheduling, programming and instructional decisions, and often have stronger school-community connections that support student achievement and serve important community needs. Using quantitative measures of quality, Fairman notes that school size alone explains very little of the variation in 11th grade Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) scores, while …