Policy Update

Medicare Part D Among Democrats' Legislative Priorities

The Democrats will take control of the U. S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2007. Nancy Pelosi, designated to become the new Speaker of the House, has stated that one of the Democrats' first legislative priorities is a change in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. Specifically, they will seek to allow Medicare to use its vast purchasing power to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for competitive prices on prescription drugs.

According to Democratic leaders, their new plan would save Medicare as much as $190 billion over the next ten years. In the past, the pharmaceutical industry, the Bush Administration, and the Republican-led Congress have opposed this change. Read More

A New Direction: State-supported Community Care

As California struggles to cover the cost of placing Medicaid patients in nursing facilities, Vermont has come up with a unique solution: Keep the patients in the community, and pay their friends and family to take care of them.

Under Vermont's Choices for Care program, Medicaid-eligible older adults with caregiving needs can be cared for at home by a neighbor, friend, or relative paid by the state. The home caregivers make $10 an hour, and the state saves money: the home care program costs Vermont $80 a day per patient, while patients in nursing homes cost the state $122 a day. As Medicaid shows interest in switching away from institutional care and toward home- and community-based care, all eyes are on the year-old program in Vermont. Read More

Voters Boost Prospects for Stem Cell Research

More and more states are joining California in supporting stem cell research, which has been impeded at the federal level by the Bush Administration. This past election day, Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment that legalized embryonic stem cell research in the state. The issue may have also come into play in the Missouri Senate race, where Democrat Claire McCaskill, a supporter of the stem cell measure, defeated Republican Jim Talent, who opposed it.

Six other senatorial candidates who made stem cell research a prominent issue of their campaigns emerged victorious: Ben Cardin (MD), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Bob Menendez (NJ), Sherrod Brown (OH), Jon Tester (MT), and Jim Webb (VA), and the issue was prominent in many House races as well. Whatever the conduit, the message has been heard, and incoming Democrats are indicating that they will make rolling back President Bush's restrictions on the research a priority. Read More

Caregiving in California Report Released

The University of California at Berkeley's Family Caregiver Support Project recently released its final report, Caregiving in California. The report covers the implementation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) in California, with a particular focus on caregiver needs and service utilization patterns. In general, the report shows that the NFCSP appears to be having a positive impact on the lives of California caregivers.

Family caregivers reported an increase in service use, a decrease in unmet needs, a decrease in barriers to service use and a decrease in caregiver distress. However, many caregivers continue to lack the community support necessary to provide the best possible care for their loved ones. The report includes recommendations for policies and programs to better meet the needs of California's caregivers. Read More

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