Hi...I did some surfing for public radio outlets this a.m. and came across
this project in West Virginia which may be a prototype.  Do we have anyone=
 on
the list from WV?  I think the recent discussion on the lack of  an adequa=
te
number of caregivers  both in-home (esp. single people) and institutional =
is
an universal health issue.


http://www.wvpubrad.org/hcpress.htm

Health Care at the CROSSROADS
West Virginia Public Radio awarded $35,000 grant for welfare reform
health care access project

Charleston, W.Va.- West Virginia Public Radio has been awarded a $35,000
grant for a yearlong project on welfare reform and how it affects access
to health care.

The network's proposal, "Health Care at the Cross Roads," was selected
in a competitive grant process from public radio stations throughout the
nation. It is part of Sound Partners for Community Health, a project of
the Benton Foundation, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

West Virginia Public Radio's project is a multi-tiered campaign to
broaden understanding of the complex issues of welfare reform and health
care access. To gain wide exposure for the issues and programming
exploring them, the initiative will use the Internet, listserv e-mail,
radio and television broadcasting, direct mail, public forums,
information centers at health fairs and voicemail.

The campaign is a partnership between West Virginia Public Radio and the
of West Virginia UniversityRobert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. It
also includes the Adult Education Division of the West Virginia
Department of Education, West Virginia Public Television Network, West
Virginia Hospital Association, and other local community agencies and
organizations.

"Health Care at the Crossroads" will kick off this coming January with
weekly public service announcements focusing on how listeners can gain
access to health care in each of the state's 55 counties. Other on-air
programming will include feature articles about health care access
issues aired during West Virginia Public Radio's weekday afternoon news
program, Dateline: West Virginia and West Virginia newscasts during
National Public Radio news programs Morning Edition and All Things
Considered.

"Health Care at the Crossroads" will also explore the issue of welfare
reform and health care access through statewide radio call-in programs
and the West Virginia Health Issues website, www.healthissues.wvu.edu.

The project will distribute information and gather public opinion on the
issues on-line, in public forums in different parts of the state and
through regular mailings to project partners' constituencies. Audio
cassettes of feature articles and discussion guides will be made
available at the close of the project.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright =A91997 West Virginia Public Radio, All Rights Reserved
a division of WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Web Site Design & Services by Citynet
Site Maintenance by West Virginia Public Radio Staff
*************

2nd site

http://www.healthissues.wvu.edu

Sponsored by the WV Health Page, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center
of West Virginia University, Senator Jay Rockefeller,
West Virginia Public Radio and the Charleston Gazette.

Welfare Reform and Access to Health Care
Should Drug Companies be Allowed to Control Pharmacy Formularies?Join a
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Have A Health Question?
A formulary is a list of preferred drug products. The idea originated in
hospitals and other medical facilities, where committees of physicians
and pharmacists review and select which drugs are available for use by
medical staff members. Physicians are asked to prescribe only the
products listed; exceptions require special permission. This lowers
inventory cost by decreasing the number of products stocked. It also
maximizes quantity discounts offered by drug manufacturers in exchange
for the preferential treatment.
Today, drug formularies have expanded beyond the institutional setting.
They are a cost-containing component of many health insurance plans,
including HMOs. If a physician writes a prescription for a drug not on
the list, the patient may have to pay a higher deductible, or even the
entire cost of the drug. Physicians are encouraged to only prescribe
drugs on the plan=92s approved list. Pharmaceutical manufacturers
sometimes provide rebates and discounts to insurers who include their
products on the formulary.

Outside health institutions, formularies are often controlled by
pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Most people have never heard of
pharmacy benefit managers, but they have an increasingly important
influence on our health care.

When the new impotence drug Viagra came on the market, pharmacy benefit
managers decided whether insurance companies would pay for it, and how
many pills a man would be allotted each month.

About 115 million Americans are members of PBM-managed prescription drug
programs. In addition, PBMs handle 60% of all retail drug prescriptions
paid for each year by Medicaid, HMOs, insurance companies and
self-insured employers.

In recent months, formularies have come under criticism and scrutiny.
Major drug manufacturers have moved to purchase or establish their own
pharmacy benefit management companies.

A Department of Health and Human Services inspector general=92s report
concluded that formularies are often "established without any objective
criteria."

Should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to own or control pharmacy
benefit managers and create drug formularies?

Read more about formularies.
Tell us what you think.

Discussion | Opinions | Resources | Suggestions | Comments | Health
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This site was last updated 10/23/98
*********
Regards,

Barara Blake-Krebs 58/1984
Merriam  KS
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