Political Heavyweights Debate Health Care

Four political heavyweights sparred on Wednesday over whether creation of a government-run health care program would drive down skyrocketing costs. But they agreed that some overhaul of the nation's health system would make its way through the Democratic-led Congress.

Republicans Karl Rove, a former top adviser to President George W. Bush, and ex-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist warned that a public health care plan could have a huge price tag and quash private-sector innovation. But former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and one-time Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said a public plan could help bring down costs and insure more Americans. Dean proposed a 10 cent carbon tax on gasoline to pay for the costly overhaul, expected to cost at least $1.2 trillion.

The four debated the virtues of government-run health care at the 2009 BIO International Conference in Atlanta on Wednesday. The faceoff came as the battle over health care heats up in Washington.

Majority Democrats are aiming to bring health care overhaul bills to the floor of the House and Senate by August. It's a priority for President Barack Obama, a promise he made during his campaign.

Rove predicted that if the final bill contained a public health care system "it will pass with little or no Republican support."

I"m for choice," Rove said. "There is no reason you have to have a public plan to have competition and choice."

Frist, a heart surgeon before his election to the U.S. Senate, acknowledged that if the government comes to the table with a public plan it would bring costs down. But he said the bill for taxpayers would eventually swell as companies abandon private coverage for their employees and dump them on the government rolls.

But Dean said the GOP was missing the impact health care reform would have on America's ability to compete in the global marketplace.

"This is a business proposition," he said. "What are we going to do to make American businesses more competitive? Driving down the cost of health care will help."

Daschle said too much is paid on administrative costs in health care plans and any reform needs to look at how "to wring inefficiencies out of the system." He said the trick would be to strike the right balance between public and private coverage. Daschle had once been expected to lead the charge for health care reform in Washington as Obama's choice to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He withdrew from consideration amid questions about unpaid taxes.

Sparks flew at one point Wednesday as Rove jokingly referred to Dean's home state of Vermont as "dinky," smaller than some ranches in his own state of Texas. That led to Dean to chide Rove for years of budget deficits under Bush. Rove countered that Obama was only making matters
worse.

(Associated Press)

Boost for ailing minority health care

Minority health care in several southwest Georgia counties gets failing marks according to a new report. The 2008 Health Disparities Report (.pdf download) says that while racial and ethnic minorities make up about a third of Georgia's population, they are much more likely to have health problems.

The Office of Minority Health, which put out the report is working to equalize health care access for minority and non-minority populations in Georgia.

Kristal Ammons of the Department of Community Health says Muscogee County's grade was among the lowest statewide:

“...particularly in the overall report card -- they received a grade of 'F' for prenatal care and maternal health outcomes.”

Representatives met with local officials in Columbus on Thursday to discuss ways of improving minority health care.

Ammons says a matrix of poor education, poverty and economic hardship are a big part of the problem, but adds that many other counties received higher ratings.

The group plans to distribute $1.5 million in improvement grants statewide. The funds will also cover other health issues including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

The group plans to set up coalitions with local officials and health care providers in Fort Valley, Valdosta and Brunswick, among others statewide.

Click here for more GPB coverage of health issues in Georgia.

Savannah's mental health hospital to remain open

The new director of a new state agency for mental health is wasting no time making his mark on the state's mental health system. Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Doctor Frank Shelp to head the new Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities eight days ago. And today we learn that Shelp is reversing an unpopular decision to close a mental health hospital in Savannah

The decision last year to close Georgia Regional Hospital caused an uproar among local officials, who denouced the plan as a recipe for disaster. The plan would have left South Georgia without any place nearby to take the most seriously mentally ill patients. But that plan was made by the state Department of Human Resources. There's a new agency over mental health now, headed by Doctor Frank Shelp.

"I would say that it is a new course correction of about 35 to 40 degrees," says Shelp.

Shelp doesn't characterize the move to keep Georgia Regional open as a complete reversal because his vision for mental health keeps in place many aspects of D-H-R's proposal, known as "the game plan."

"The discussion became around closing a hospital or leaving a hospital open," says Shelp. "And that discussion reached such a level that it really precluded discussing other aspects of the game plan."

Shelp says, the plan was always to increase the continuum of care, such as with crisis stabilization programs, or C.S.P.'s, that promise more local services for most mentally ill patients, while none for the most seriously ill. Shelp says, a few patients might still be moved to the state's main mental health facility Milledgeville, but "the goal right now is to come up with a modification that will manage 95% plus of patient needs in their own region."

Shelp says, he's still developing plans for what to do with patients referred to the mental health system from the criminal justice system. He says, that part of the "game plan" was never fully explained. And just hearing that pleases advocates for the mentally ill. June Dipolito runs the Pineland mental health agency in Statesboro.

"I am excited beyond words," Dipolito says. "You cannot really run community mental health services without having the deep and intensive services of the acute psychiatric beds."

The new Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities currently works at Georgia Regional in Savannah. Frank Shelp is set to move to Atlanta by July.

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Patient advocates: the doctor will see you. Now.

After three surgeries, Judy Sherer still had chronic pain in her left shoulder. She'd lost faith in her doctors, and in despair tried a new health benefit offered by her employer.

The service, Health Advocate, is a call-in center that helps customers find the right doctor, haggle over insurance coverage and manage other medical system headaches.

An advocate helped Sherer find a new surgeon — one who found metal shavings left in her shoulder by a previous doctor. The advocate also negotiated the charge for her physical therapy down to $40 per visit from the $200 she was told initially.

"It saved me a ton of money," said Sherer, 63, of Norcross, Ga. "I'm very, very pleased."

Health Advocate is one of a growing number of U.S. companies offering some form of advocacy services to medical consumers.

Currently, the health advocacy business is an industry with about $50 million to $75 million in annual revenue but only about a half-dozen companies of any significant size, said Richard Rakowski of Intersection LLC, a Connecticut-based investment and development firm that has researched the field.

More than ever, people need help negotiating the medical system, said Jessica Greene, a University of Oregon health policy analyst.

"We're asking consumers to make more complicated decisions, but the numeracy and health literacy skills of many consumers are not at the level needed to handle this new responsibility," Greene said.

Though some consumers are savvy enough to beat a billing overcharge or probe doctors' litigation histories, they don't have the time for such labors, experts said.

Indeed, the largest customers of health advocacy services are companies, not individuals. "The employers are interested because it means their employees are not on the phone taking care of doctor's visits" during work hours, Fischer said.

Some other companies have always focused on individuals, especially rich ones.

One example is $10,000-a-year PinnacleCare, founded in 2002 by John Hutchins, who created a concierge-like service at the Cleveland Clinic. He later used his connections to build a national network of doctors for his private health advisory start-up.

The Baltimore-based company is essentially a club for millionaires and billionaires that puts nurses and social workers in touch with members. Not only will they help members find top-level care, they will get them moved to the head of the line. PinnacleCare advisers will even meet the patient at a doctor's office or hospital.

PinnacleCare has about 1,700 member-families. One satisfied customer is Kirk Posmantur, 45, the founder and chairman of Axcess Luxury & Lifestyle. His Atlanta-based company markets handmade watches, private jets and other luxury items to the affluent.

"It's a no-brainer for those who've got net worth of $5 million or more," he said. "You've got people who advise you on your taxes. You've got people who advise you on how to manage your money. But what's more important than your health?"

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of health issues.

Perdue unveils plan to target state mental health

Governor Sonny Perdue says a reorganization of the state’s health and social services will help pave the way toward fixing Georgia’s severe deficiencies in mental health care.

Perdue says a newly-created Department of Behavioral Health would handle only mental health and addiction programs. The plan also creates a Department of Health, to oversee programs such as Medicaid and Peachcare, and a Department of Human Services--handling welfare and elderly issues.

The state has been under federal scrutiny for what investigators say are dangerous conditions in Georgia’s seven mental hospitals. Perdue says this new arrangement is vital.

"I firmly believe by separating these functions organizationally, the resulting standalone department focused on mental health will be a nimble, flexible, responsive unit better able to fully implement the commission’s recommendations".

The announcement comes on the heels of a report from the Governor’s task force on how to improve the state’s troubled mental hospitals and services.

While the reorganization looks good, it still makes Lei Ellingson cautious. She’s assistant director for mental health programs at the Carter Center in Atlanta.

"I think it’s a good step to have mental health and addictive diseases pulled out and brought closer to the Governor, if there’s this direct link. But the budget has to be there".

The reorganization would take-hold on July 1st of next year, if approved by lawmakers.

High risk topic of Senate health care committee

Pictured: Senators Don Thomas (left) R-Dalton and Committee Chair Judson Hill (right) R-Marietta at a meeting of the Senate Healthcare Transformation Study Committee. (Not pictured: Senators Don Balfour (R-Snelville) and Horacena Tate (D-Atlanta).


The Senate Healthcare Transformation Study Committee met today in Atlanta, hoping to build on legislation passed in 2008, which reformed health coverage in Georgia by turning it into an incentive based commodity. Today insurance companies have the option to refund premiums to patients who stay healthy. States around the country are looking at Georgia's free market health coverage as a model, which rewards healthy lifestyles with insurance premium refunds.

However, lawmakers it's now time to tackle the lack of health care for the middle class, uninsured workers. Those who have been turned down for health coverage because of a pre-existing or catastrophic condition.

Marietta Republican Judson Hill heads the Senate Health Care Transformation Committee.

"These are for working Georgians, someone who may have had a heart attack, or may have diabetes or a lot of different health that are not uninsurable. They're working, they're out here making 50, 150 thousand dollars a year, but they've got ongoing health issues that may cost them thousands or tens of thousands of month in health care."

Georgia is one of 4 states which does not have a high risk pool. And, it's estimated there are 10-thousand high risk working Georgians, left with one very expensive option when catastrophic illness hits.

"When a guy gores to the hospital with some heart condition and he doesn't have insurance because he wasn't able to purchase it, then he comes under the indigent care trust fund and the government kick ins money to partially refund the hospital for the free services that they're giving to that individual. Those monies come from taxpayers."

The Committee --- working with the state Department of Insurance -- hopes to present a draft of its proposal prior to the '09 legislative session.

One-two punch for mental health in Savannah

A commission studying mental health in Georgia says, the Department of Human Resources should explain itself better before going forward with a proposal to close or privatize mental health hospitals.

The proposal would close some mental hospitals and move patients to community-based mental health facilities. The first hospital to close would be the one in Savannah, where a community-based mental health collaborative is shutting down.

Diane Reeder is President of the National Alliance for Mental Illness Savannah chapter. "This is a disaster," Reader says. "We're appalled at our state's ability to provide mental health services."

The Savannah Area Behavioral Health Collaborative is shutting down following a year of turmoil among its members. D.H.R. is proposing the state hospital shut-down to deal with sky-rocketing costs at an aging facility.

Members of the state's Mental Health Service Delivery Commission say, they don't have enough information to recommend for or against the proposal. Among the things they'd like to know: where would the patients go?

Health care pros: Grady broke its promise

Health care advocates met in Atlanta today to address the widening health care disparities in minority populations. Of particular concern to some – how politics have shaped the allocation of medical services at one high profile hospital.

According to Dr. George Rust, the ratio of poor African Americans unable to access adequate and affordable health care has remained unchanged for nearly half a century. Rust directs the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine. All Morehouse medical students are required to do some clinical work at nearby Grady Memorial Hospital. But, Rust says Grady isn't delivering on its promise made in the 1890s. Namely, to serve the poor.

"We segregate health care for the poor and then we under fund it. We say we're going to create a separate system of care for the uninsured and then we're not going to adequately fund it. And what we're seeing is that when deliver care separately you get separate health outcomes and worse health outcomes."

Today it’s estimated that annually so-called segregated health care means 83,000 African Americans die at earlier ages of treatable and preventable diseases. Most experts agree lifestyle choices may be the root causes of treatable diseases like diabetes and obesity. But add, the lack of culturally sensitive medical personnel unfairly burdens some minority communities.

Voters to be offered flu shots

Officials in western Georgia say they have a novel way to boost voter turnout on Election Day.

Muscogee County’s Board of Elections and Registrations, together with the local Health Department are taking part in a nationwide “Vote and Vax” campaign. The program was launched in the summer of 2006 and voting officials hope it will draw more voters to the polls by offering flu vaccinations.

Nancy Boren is Muscogee County’s voter registrar:

"The Health Department and the Board of Elections decided to team together to have the elderly and those in need of a flu shot to get their flu shot at the same time that they vote."

And, Boren says, four early-voting stations in Columbus will be the first to administer those shots, from October twenty-seventh to the thirtieth.

A West Central Health District spokesperson says their sole intention "is to offer convenient influenza vaccinations at select early polling sites for our community members."
Professional nurses from two Columbus colleges will give the injections. They’ll costs $23 dollars apiece, and won’t require a prescription.

Boren says that while voting and vaccinations will be held at the same locations, one doesn’t depend on the other:

"You do not have to vote to get a shot, nor do you have to get a shot to vote, so, while they will be in the same area, there will be a separation between the two."

Health officials add that only people of voting age will be eligible to receive the immunization, but that age-appropriate shots are available at local health departments.

While only Muscogee and Cherokee counties have signed up so far, officials hope more of the 15 counties that make up the West Central Health District will take part.

A West Central Health District spokesperson says their sole intention "is to offer convenient influenza vaccinations at select early polling sites for our community members."

Click here for more GPB News coverage of health issues.

UGA Public Health College Certified

The University of Georgia's four-year-old College of Public Health has gained full accreditation. It now gives UGA one of the 41 colleges of public health nationwide approved by the Council on Education for Public Health. It’s also the only accredited public health college in the University System of Georgia, and only the second in the state, along with Emory University.

The nod from the council means the 600-student program at UGA meets the highest standards of quality for training professionals to work in public health fields.

The UGA Public Health Dean says the program will help train workers to replace an expected surge in the number of people retiring from the field. He says the average age of a public health worker in Georgia is 50.

(Associated Press)

Health care group launches campaign

A health care advocacy group launched a multi-million dollar campaign in Atlanta today to press for reforming the American health care system.

Health Care for America Now is a coalition of more than 100, primarily left-of-center groups calling for cheaper and more comprehensive health insurance and health care.

Larry Pellegrini of the Georgia Rural Urban Summit, says the coalition plans to invest $40 million dollars to get their point across nationwide:

"…which would actually make it one of the largest, if not the largest campaign on a single issue that's ever been formed. The funding is already obtained, and we intend to make it an investment in reforms that will satisfy the needs of the people."

The group is touting a 10-point plan they want to see on the national agenda, including universal health care, a choice of private or public coverage, and equal access to treatment.

Organizers say their supporters include labor unions, women's and minority groups, medical practitioners, and small-business associations.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of state health-care issues.

Flu shots available in W. Ga.

The Columbus Department of Public Health and the West Central Health District report that they have received supplies of influenza vaccine, for the winter flu season.

The flu shots will be restricted to Georgia residents of the following counties, and will be distributed at their local health departments this coming Monday, September 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m:

Chattahoochee, Clay, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee (Columbus), Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Webster.

The vaccine will be available on a walk-in basis to the general public and high-risk population for $23.00 apiece, and pneumonia vaccine will cost $14.00, according to a statement by the West Central Health District (WCHD).

The WCHD recommends vaccinations for the following high-risk populations:

• Adults age 65 years or older
• All children aged 6-23 months
• Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities
• Health-care workers involved in direct, hands-on, face-to-face patient care
• Pregnant women
• Children aged 6 months-18 years on chronic aspirin therapy
• Individuals who live with or care for one or more children less than 6 months of age
• Individuals with long-term health problems such as heart disease; kidney disease; lung diseases like asthma; metabolic diseases like diabetes, blood disorders like anemia; a weakened immune system caused, for example, by cancer or cancer treatment, HIV/AIDS, or steroid therapy; or certain conditions such as neuromuscular disorders that can cause breathing problems.

Click here for moore GPB News coverage of of health issues.

Bill would create web-based health care supermarket

The Georgia Senate has passed a measure that would create a statewide agency designed to promote and market a consumer-driven health insurance superstore. The plan has the backing of the Lt. Governor, who called the proposed Georgia Health Marketplace Authority a "free market solution based option for consumers." The plan would allow individuals to buy health care coverage directly from a doctor or hospital. Insurers and health care companies would pay a fee to be included on a web-based list from which people choose products and services. The bill's sponsor, Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) says buying health care coverage should be like shopping for any other product. "They can buy just any kind of car they want, that they can afford. That's what we're trying to do, is offer alot of different products out there," says Williams. Cagle, says the program is designed to help some of the 1.7 million uninsured Georgians. The web-based site would be allowed to market high-deductible health care plans to Georgians ages 18 to 25. Participants in those plans pay out-of-pocket up to a certain ceiling but have coverage for "catastrophic" events, such as cancer. Democratic critics of the plan say it excludes the poorest of Georgians because of an an inability to pay for items excluded from coverage, including STD screening, pregnancy complications, and birth control. The measure passed 42-12.

Columbus: four ill with West Nile Virus

Four cases of West Nile Virus have been diagnosed in Columbus since last month, health officials report.

Columbus West Central Health District Program Manager Ed Saidla told GPB News that this is the time of the year when individuals are most likely to contract the disease:

“Persons who are elderly, or have other health conditions are often more likely not to survive West Nile Virus than those who are healthy at the time of infection. However – west Nile Virus can cause serious, life-changing events to even healthy individuals. Anybody can wind up with the virus, so it's important that they take precautions.”

The West Central Health District recommends the following steps to limit exposure to the mosquitoes that carry the virus:

Mosquitoes need water to breed. They can breed in any puddle or standing water that remains more than four days. By removing areas of standing water, you will eliminate breeding grounds and reduce the number of mosquitoes.

Dispose of old tires. Regularly empty any metal cans, ceramic flowerpots, bottles, jars, buckets, and other water-holding containers on your property.

Turn over plastic wading pools, outdoor toys and wheelbarrows when not in use.

Repair leaky pipes and outside faucets.

Keep gutters cleared and sloped to the downspout.

Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left outdoors.

Keep swimming pools clean and properly chlorinated. Remove standing water from pool covers.

Make sure windows and screens are in good condition.

Purchase and use Mosquito Dunks (a larvicide used to kill mosquito larvae) to control mosquitoes in areas with standing water and in containers that cannot be dumped.

Mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus bite during the evening, night and early morning. Take precautions to protect yourself and your family during these periods.

Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks when outdoors, especially at dawn and dusk.

Consider using insect repellent containing DEET. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label.

For more information on the West Nile Virus and prevention methods, contact your local health department Environmental Health Department.

Saidla could not verify an earlier newspaper report of a fatality in Alabama from the disease:

"The quote that was reported in the newspaper was a misunderstanding in terms of the question that was being asked, and was really more in reference to the gentleman who was 80-years-old and died up in Clayton County, that was confirmed from West Nile Virus."

Click here for more GPB coverage of the health threat.

Georgia Selected for Health Pilot

Georgia has been selected by the federal government to pilot electronic health records.

Federal health officials will meet with Governor Perdue on Thursday to make the officials announcement.

An electronic health record or EHR is a computerized patient medical file. The office of Health and Human Services wants more doctors to trade paper records for computers, especially in rural areas and smaller communities.

The hope is that EHR’s will cut cost and medical errors. Georgia was one of 12 communities selected for a pilot program.

Over the next five years physician practices that participate will get financial incentives for using EHRs with their patients.

Federal officials say the program is designed to revolutionize the way health care information is managed. Nationwide the program is costing 150 million dollars.

Obama Names New CDC Chief

President Barack Obama has appointed Dr. Thomas Frieden as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, turning to New York City's health commissioner to deal with the swine flu outbreak and other major health issues.

Frieden has served as NYC's commissioner for the past seven years, where he led a campaign to ban smoking in restaurants and bars, boosted the number of New Yorkers getting HIV tests and helped to distribute millions of free condoms.

In a statement announcing Frieden's appointment, Obama said the new CDC chief had been a "leader in the fight for health care reform, and his experiences confronting public health challenges in our country and abroad will be essential in this new role."

Frieden will inherit a looming decision on how best to manage a swine flu outbreak, including whether or how to produce a swine flu vaccine. The virus has infected more than 66-hundred people in 35 countries.

Health experts say the CDC needs to make immediate improvements in employee morale and organization as the Obama administration works to overhaul the national health care system.

The 48-year-old Frieden is expected to take office next month. His appointment does not require Senate confirmation. He will succeed Dr. Julie Gerberding, who resigned in January.

Dr. Richard Besser has served as acting head of the Atlanta-based CDC in recent months.

(Associated Press)

Study Says More than Half of Unemployed People Have No Health Insurance

More than half of unemployed people who are actively seeking work in Georgia have no health insurance, according to Families USA, a nonprofit watchdog of health care and insurance issues. The statistic is the same as the national average, according to the group, which released a study on the issue today. Families USA says the high uninsured rate could have serious consequences for the health of people who are not working, and also for the health of their families. The organization also says unemployed workers are not able to afford COBRA coverage, where they can continue their health insurance from employers by paying for it themselves, and that in some states, Medicaid coverage for low-income people is hard or impossible to get. The unemployment rate in Georgia was 8.1 percent in December.

Congress to vote on PeachCare expansion

Congress is about to vote on legislation to renew and expand Georgia's PeachCare and similar child health plans nationwide.

The House bill would increase spending on the Children's Health Insurance Program by $50 billion. In Georgia, supporters say, the expansion could provide health care for 210,000 more children who are eligible for PeachCare but are not enrolled. State officials have capped PeachCare's rolls at 295,000 children because of budget concerns.

The Senate bill is less ambitious, but still would increase spending by $35 billion. Higher tobacco taxes would fund the expansions. The House bill also would reduce payments to managed care companies that oversee some states' health plans, including Georgia's PeachCare and Medicare.

Sen. Johnny Isakson says he cannot support the Senate bill. He says expanding PeachCare would be a move towards universal health care.

"I think [universal health care] is problematic," he says. "It has never worked anywhere in the world. I don't know why we'd think it would work here."

Sen. Saxby Chambliss agrees. His spokeswoman adds that Chambliss will not support anything that includes tax increases.

President Bush has threatened to veto the proposals. Without a new law, however, the program will expire on September 30. Isakson predicts the debate will go down to the wire.

DHR Re-organization Begins Today

Governor Sonny Perdue has high hopes for the restructuring of health and social service agencies in the state. That begins today with the arrival of the new fiscal year.

Basically, the sweeping changes will spread the services previously handled by two agencies—Department of Human Resources and the Department of Community Health—to three. The main reason is to help Georgia to get a better handle on its failings in mental health, which has been under the federal microscope over the past year.

Governor Perdue says he’s confident of future success for the newly-created Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities:

"I firmly believe by separating these functions organizationally, the resulting standalone department focused on mental health will be a nimble, flexible and responsive unit…better able to fully implement the commission’s recommendations."

Advocates are hopeful, yet worried about whether the state’s continued budget crisis will cripple the effort.

Perdue says other areas of concern, like access to vital records, should be better handled in the new set-up.

Restaurant Inspection Information Site On The Way

A new Web site that would allow restaurant-goers to get better information on health inspection reports is on the way. State health officials say the Georgia Enviromental Health Information System site will include inspection forms with specific violations and inspector notes, allowing consumers to better understand what a health inspection score means. A state health spokesperson says the site should be available sometime near year’s end.