The biggest vested interest of all: how government lobbies to restrict individual rights and freedom

The Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan wrote in The Monthly in March 2012 that : Australia’s fair go is today under threat from a new source."To be blunt, the rising power of vested interests is undermining our equality and threatening our democracy."But not all vested interests are private corporations. This paper draws attention to two statutory agencies of the Commonwealth Government that have an explicit, legislatively - defined function to lobby and advocate for public policy change – the Australian National Preventive Health Agency and the Australian Human Rights Commission.These two agencies are effectively taxpayer funded lobbyists, embedded in the public policy process, enjoying privileged access to the institutions of government.The Australian National Preventative Health Agency (ANPHA) received $57,718,000 in the 2012 - 13 Federal Budget to “driv[e] the national capacity for change and innovation around preventive health policies and programs.”ANPHA publicly advocates and privately lobbies for a wide range of Nanny State restrictions on alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy food.The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) received$23,133,000 in the 2012 - 13 Federal Budget . One oF its primary tasks is to “promote an understanding and acceptance ... of human rights in Australia ... undertake research and educational programs” and “develop laws, policies and programs” for parliament to enact. ( Unfortunately, the AHRC does not disclose how much it of it s budget it directs towards this task.)However the human rights that the AHRC chooses to promote and advocate are highly selective, favouring certain rights above others.As well as being policy lobbyists in their own right, AHRC and ANPHA are central to a pattern of relationships between the government and non - government sectors. Taxpayer money is being used to lobby for the allocation of more taxpayer money.One - third of the submissions to the Preventative Health Taskforce – which established the Australian National Preventive Health Agency – were from bodies which received large amounts of taxpayer funding

The Changing Role of Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) in India: Implications for Maternal and Child Health (MCH)

The world’s democracy and its second most populous country, India was the first developing country to have a national family planning program and has implemented countrywide reproductive health programs such as RCH I. India’s primary health care and the family planning programs have come a long way after the independence in improving health indicators in general, yet it has high material and under five mortality rates. The country has developed an extensive network of primary health centers and sub- to provide basic medical care to huge (80%) rural population. In the rural health care system, the ANM is the key field level functionary who interacts directly with the community and has been the central focus of all the reproductive child health programs. In contrast with resident ANM of sixties who was providing delivery and basic curative services to the community, today’s commuting multi purpose worker is more involved in family planning and preventive services. This has implications on the implementation and coutcomes of maternal health programs in rural India. The midwifery role of the ANM should be restored if the goal of dcreasing maternal mortality has to be met. The priority will have to change from family planning immunization to comprehensive reproductive health including maternal and neonatal care. These changes will require sustained and careful planning/resource allocation. Increasing resources along with systemic reforms will improve health status for women and children who are the focus of Reproductive Child Health programs.

User Guide: A Guide to Disability Statistics from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System

This User Guide contains information on the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS is a state-based system of health surveys that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access primarily related to chronic disease and injury. The survey is conducted by the state health departments with technical and methodological assistance provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BRFSS is an annual cross-sectional telephone-based survey that provides national, state, and limited county-level data. It is designed to allow the CDC, state health departments, and other health and education agencies to monitor risk behaviors related to chronic diseases, injuries and death, identify emerging health problems, establish and track health objectives, and develop and evaluate public health policies and programs. The core survey includes two questions that are used to identify the population with disabilities with other optional modules that target disability-related issues

Realizing Health Reform's Potential: How the Affordable Care Act Will Strengthen Primary Care and Benefit Patients, Providers, and Payers

Examines issues in primary care and outlines the 2010 healthcare reform law's provisions to strengthen it, including temporary hikes in Medicare and Medicaid payments and support for innovations in care delivery and primary care workforce development

Healthcare disparities and models for change.

With Healthy People 2010 making the goal of eliminating health disparities a national priority, policymakers, researchers, medical centers, managed care organizations (MCOs), and advocacy organizations have been called on to move beyond the historic documentation of health disparities and proceed with an agenda to translate policy recommendations into practice. Working models that have successfully reduced health disparities in managed care settings were presented at the National Managed Health Care Congress Inaugural Forum on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care on March 10-11, 2003, in Washington, DC. These models are being used by federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as private, commercial, and Medicaid MCOs. Successful models and programs at all levels reduce health disparities by forming partnerships based on common goals to provide care, to educate, and to rebuild healthcare systems. Municipal models work in collaboration with state and federal agencies to integrate patient care with technology. Several basic elements of MCOs help to reduce disparities through emphasis on preventive care, community and member health education, case management and disease management tracking, centralized data collection, and use of sophisticated technology to analyze data and coordinate services. At the community level, there are leveraged funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary Health Care. Well-designed models provide seamless monitoring of patient care and outcomes by integrating human and information system resources

Solving Colorado's Health Professionals Shortage: Initial Lessons Learned From the Health Professions Initiative Evaluation

Gives an overview of the trust's 2005-08 Health Professions Initiative to address expected shortages in all healthcare professions, its impact so far, and the strategies grantees are implementing to help strengthen the training infrastructure

A Review of the Quality of Health Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Documents healthcare disparities for American Indians and Alaska Natives and reports on recent progress made to reduce or eliminate gaps in care. Reviews initiatives on the treatment and control of specific medical conditions, and offers recommendations

Securing a Healthy Future: The Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard on Child Health System Performance, 2011

Ranks states on twenty indicators of healthcare access, affordability, prevention and treatment, potential for healthy lives, and health system equity for children. Examines the need for targeted initiatives and policy implications for better performance

Preventive medicine: A cure for the healthcare crisis

Introductory Editorial: Few would dispute the premise that prevention, early detection, and early intervention form the first line of defense on the disease management (DM) continuum. That being the case, our national statistics on preventive health should be raising concerns throughout the industry. The US healthcare delivery system continues to fall woefully short of its prevention targets. On the international scene, the United States lags behind countries with less wealth and less technological savvy. Commentaries abound on the problems, but recently I became aware of an organization with an exciting goal and a novel solution for bringing preventive medicine into the mainstream. U.S. Preventive Medicine, Inc. (USPM) was founded by Christopher Fey, a former president and CEO of HealthCare USA, a multistate health maintenance organization, and senior officer of Coventry Health Care Corporation. A number of years ago, Mr. Fey had a life-altering experience. He witnessed his brother-in-law, a 39-year-old man in seemingly excellent physical condition, suffer a massive stroke that resulted in permanent right-sided paralysis, and speech and memory impairment. Following the event, physicians concluded that his brother-in-law’s risk factors could have been identified and his disease state detected by means of available technological screening devices. His was a condition for which effective drug therapy and other interventions were available. This event and its consequences were preventable. Having experienced firsthand the devastating consequences of a broken system that fails to respond until a condition produces symptoms, Mr. Fey became an evangelist for prevention and early detection. In founding USPM, he translated an interesting concept into an innovative model for preventive health in a consumer-driven market. In the following pages we provide a brief history of and current status report on the state of preventive health in the United States, and we present an overview of this company’s solution as one example of the untapped potential for innovation in the delivery of preventive services. I hope that the information contained herein will inspire you and our colleagues to join the conversation about the direction the United States will take with regard to improving access to screening and preventive services and enriching the lives of all citizens. As always, I welcome your comments. I can be reached at [email protected]

Is the Health Care System Working for Adolescents? Perspectives From Providers in Boston, Denver, Houston, and San Francisco

Assesses healthcare system services for adolescents in four urban areas. Includes provider perspectives on how health insurance, managed care, and other factors facilitate or impede access. Discusses innovative programs, and offers recommendations