 |
 |
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 Discussion Read a Commentary Read Other Opinions Link to Other Resources Suggestions for Future Topics Send Us Your Comments About This Site 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 Questions =A0=A0=A0=A0 This site was last updated 10/23/98 ********* Regards, Barara Blake-Krebs 58/1984 Merriam KS [log in to unmask]