Health Policy Commons^™

Sweet Freedom: Smokers’ Rights & The Rebranding Of Philip Morris, Amy Dipierro

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

This paper discusses how Philip Morris invoked strong American values to defend its own corporate speech as well as “smoker’s rights.” In particular, it examines Philip Morris Company’s Bill of Rights advertising campaign of the early 1990s, especially focusing on an advertisement featuring Everett Alvarez, a prisoner of war during Vietnam. This strategy reveals how Philip Morris was able to manipulate the public conversation about smoking from one about health and disease to one about human rights and freedoms.

Polio Eradication: How The War On Terror Has Led To The Persistence Of Polio In Afghanistan, Pakistan, And Nigeria, John Michel Rouhana

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a campaign to eradicate the polio virus from the world population (Bari 2006). Since 1988, the WHO has used polio vaccines to successfully interrupt transmission of the disease to new individuals in all but three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria (WHO 2012). This paper examines how The War on Terror, stated by President George W. Bush to be a war against every terrorist group of global reach and the governments that support these groups, has led the populations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria, as well as vaccinators and health officials in these …

The Global Ability To Respond: Applying Sars Knowledge To H1n1 And Beyond, Meaghan Drees

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Influenza outbreaks may be alarming, but they are nothing new in the 21^st century. At this point, the various strains of influenza have broken into cities and homes, acted as silent killers by causing fear, death and destruction, and spreading uncontrollably. This repetitive cycle arouses the question of when people will learn how to take care of these epidemics. Well, according to Flahault and Zylberman, knowledge may not be the only factor necessary to stop influenza from disrupting lives. The authors reveal that “Influenza epidemics occur regularly and prediction of their conversion to pandemics and their impact is …

The Birth Control Cascade: How The Policies Affect Access, And Access Affects Outcome, Meghan Nestor

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

With the passing of Affordable Care Act (ACA) in August 2012, oral contraception has become free for all women with a prescription. Unfortunately, many women in the United States are without health insurance making it difficult to benefit from the new law. Many states’ intended restrictions on the ACA make it difficult for women to access birth control. Birth control methods, which are now considered part of standard preventative health care, give women the ability to make their own decisions about family planning. Increased access to birth control can also change many of the grim statistics related to rates of …

The Individual Mandate: The Ultimate Conservative Idea, Erin Ellwanger

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The individual mandate is perhaps the most contested and least popular provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA). The mandate, which requires most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, was put in the ACA as a means to increase the number of Americans with access to health care insurance. A poll taken by Gallup in February 2012 revealed that 72% of Americans view the individual mandate as unconstitutional (Gallup poll, 2012). This extreme opposition towards the mandate intrigued me and I was interested in learning where this negativity was stemming from and why it seemed to …

The Effects Of Pre-Existing Illnesses On Pediatric Acute Respiratory Infections In South Africa, Haley Dumke

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The intent of this study was to explore the effect of pre-existing illnesses on acute respiratory infections, focusing on HIV and malnutrition as infection development risk factors in South African children. It investigates the economic burden imposed by these infections and analyzes how the country’s current socio-economic situation plays a major part in propagating infection development. Pneumonia and RSV were individually examined for their current role in the disease burden and potential methods for reducing incidence of pediatric respiratory infections were evaluated based on effectiveness and affordability for the country of South Africa. Data for this paper was compiled mainly …

The Danger Of Duality: Medicare And Medicaid As A Double Threat, Erica Barnum

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

My paper discusses the topic of dual eligible beneficiaries – a group of some nine million individuals that has rightly earned a reputation for being the most costly, frail, sickly, and vulnerable population. Individuals are considered “dual eligible” when they qualify for the benefits of both government programs of Medicare and Medicaid. The main problem within the dual eligible arena is the lack of coordination between these two programs – the federal government wholly funds Medicare but Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that varies from state to state. Because these programs were not designed to work together and sometimes …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of A Clinic-Based Diabetes Management Program In A Community Setting, Justin Lupone

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Diabetes in the United States occurs in approximately 8% of adults.[i] Diabetes, if not treated, can lead to many health problems such as blindness or loss of physical functioning, sometimes leading to amputation. However, Type 2 diabetes can be cured or kept under control through effective diabetes management. Many Type 2 diabetes patients let their diabetes become out of control through at risk behaviors, such as smoking, and poor diet, which in turn can lead to a worsening of their condition. With effective disease management, patients can avoid more severe effects of the disease and have higher quality of …

Aids: An Overview, Loretta Mclaughlin

New England Journal of Public Policy

"We stand nakedly in front of a very serious pandemic, as mortal as any pandemic there ever has been," said Halfdan Mahler, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). "I don't know of any greater killer than AIDS, not to speak of its psychological, social and economic maiming. Everything is getting worse and worse with AIDS and all of us have been underestimating it, and I in particular. We're running scared. I cannot imagine a worse health problem in this century." When asked to compare AIDS to other epidemics, such as smallpox, that have infected and killed over the course …

Examining Mainecare’S Coverage Options Under The Affordable Care Act, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Trish Riley

Population Health & Health Policy

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to achieve nearly universal access to health coverage in the United States—in part by standardizing Medicaid eligibility across the country so that each state’s program would cover individuals with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or $15,856 for an individual and $32,499 for a family of four in 2013 (see Figure 1).i However, in June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that states could not be required to broaden Medicaid and retained the decision as a state option. States that choose to participate may do so by amending their state …

Community Health Centers In An Era Of Health Reform: An Overview And Key Challenges To Health Center Growth, Susan F. Wood, Debora Goetz Goldberg, Brian K. Bruen, Kay Johnson, Holly Mead, Peter Shin, Tishra Beeson, Julie Lewis, Shavon Artis, Katherine J. Hayes, Merle Cunningham, Xiaoxiao Lu, Trent White, Sara Rosenbaum

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Health Centers And Family Planning: Results Of A Nationwide Study, Susan Wood, Debora Goetz Goldberg, Tishra Beeson, Brian K. Bruen, Kay Johnson, Holly Mead, Peter Shin, Julie Lewis, Shavon Artis, Katherine Hayes, Merle Cunningham, Xiaoxiao Lu, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Community health centers (CHCs) provided primary health care to over 20 million patients in 2011, 60% of whom are women and 25% of whom are women of childbearing age. Health centers play a central role in women's health, because of their mission to furnish a full range of primary and preventive care services, including family planning and birth control for women of reproductive age. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, which provide for historic insurance expansions, broad first-dollar coverage of family planning services, and direct investment in CHCs, it is projected that health center capacity will virtually double …

Building The Science Of Public Health Delivery: Advances In Public Health Services And Systems Research, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Efforts to improve the health and economic performance of the U.S. health system require evidence about how best to deliver public health strategies that protect health and prevent disease and injury on a population-wide basis. The field of public health services and systems research is building a "science of delivery" in public health that complements the evidence-based practice movement in medical care.

From The Frontier: Translating Research To Practice...A Story Of Economic Survival, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This article is number two in the series From the Frontier: Translating Research to Practice. The narrative describes the interactions between a local health department director and two academicians in addressing the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. In a first set of activities, practice-academic partners used Financial and Operational Ratio and Trend Analysis to identify periods of a negative total margin and the impact of that on the agency’s declining fund balance. The use of private sector processes of retrenchment, repositioning, and reorganization led to a financial turnaround for the agency. In a second set of activities, practice-academic …

Assessing The Potential Impact Of Sequestration On Community Health Centers, Patients, And Medically Underserved Communities, Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Carmen Alvarez, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

A new report by the Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Carmen Alvarez, and Sara Rosenbaum examines the potential impact of sequestration on community health centers and their patients and communities. "Assessing the Potential Impact of Sequestration on Community Health Centers, Patients, and Medically Underserved Communities" estimates that the nation's 1,200 federally funded health centers will lose $120 million in grant funding, and that this funding drop can be expected to translate into 900,000 fewer patients served and 3 million fewer visits. The analysis shows that the cuts will disproportionately impact the poorest Americans, children, young families, and members of ethnic and …

Poor Immigrants Use Public Benefits At A Lower Rate Than Poor Native-Born Citizens, Leighton Ku, Brian K. Bruen

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Community Health Centers In An Era Of Health Reform: An Overview And Key Challenges To Health Center Growth, Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Carmen Alvarez, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Today, over 1,100 federally funded community health centers play a vital role in ensuring access to health care for a predominantly low-income population in medically underserved communities. Health centers’ ability to provide comprehensive primary care and improve access to high-quality care while holding down health care cost growth has been well-documented. As health reform spurs coverage expansion and efforts to improve quality, the nation’s reliance on health centers is likely to grow.

In the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Congress invested $11 billion over five years to expand the health center program, to broaden access to care in lower-income communities as …

Embedding Concepts Of Sex And Gender Health Differences Into Medical Curricula, Virginia M. Miller, Morrisa Rice, Londa Schiebinger, Marjorie R. Jenkins, Janice Werbinski, Ana Nunez, Susan Wood, Lynne T. Shuster

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Sex, a biological variable, and gender, a cultural variable, define the individual and affect all aspects of disease prevention, development, diagnosis, progression, and treatment. Sex and gender are essential elements of individualized medicine. However, medical education rarely considers such topics beyond the physiology of reproduction. To reduce health care disparities and to provide optimal, cost-effective medical care for individuals, concepts of sex and gender health need to become embedded into education and training of health professionals. In September 2012, Mayo Clinic hosted a 2-day workshop bringing together leading experts from 13 U.S. schools of medicine and schools of public health, …

Community Health Centers In An Era Of Health Reform: An Overview And Key Challenges To Health Center Growth, Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Carmen Alvarez, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Julia Paradise

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Over 1,100 federally funded community health centers play a vital role in ensuring access to health care for a predominantly low-income population in medically underserved communities. Health centers’ ability to provide comprehensive primary care and improve access to high-quality care while holding down health care cost growth has been well-documented. As health reform spurs coverage expansion and efforts to improve quality, the nation’s reliance on health centers is likely to grow.

In the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Congress invested $11 billion over five years to expand the health center program, to broaden access to care in lower-income communities as coverage …

Providing Long Term Services & Supports To People With Impaired Decision-Making Capacity: Results Of Data Analysis And Interviews Examining Needs And Characteristics Of Persons With Impaired Decision-Making Capacity In Maine, Eileen Griffin Jd, Louise Olsen, Julie T. Fralich Mba

Disability & Aging

This document:

• Reviews the prevalence of impaired decision-making capacity among adults and older adults receiving publicly funded home care services and supports in Maine, the characteristics of this population group, and the caregivers caring for persons with impaired decision-making capacity.
• Reports on interviews with providers describing their ideas for helping people with impaired decisionmaking capacity live in the community longer.
• Reviews the legal status of persons receiving long term services and supports in Maine, including the presence of a guardian or a Power of Attorney, among those with impaired decision-making capacity across settings.
• Reports on interviews with providers, describing kinds …