Journal of health politics, policy and law
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By virtue of the Supreme Court's decision on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states may reject the law's expansion of Medicaid without losing all Medicaid funding from the federal government. The Court's ruling potentially permits a range of Medicaid options for states, including some that may be very attractive from state officials' political perspectives. In the context of the presidential campaign, the uncompensated care problem, and their concerns about costs of expansion, state officials are weighing their options, and some have already pledged to opt out of expansion. We argue that despite the politics, expansion is in fact good for patients, providers, and taxpayers, and states should therefore comply.
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J Health Polit Policy Law · Dec 2012
Comparative StudyVariation matters: epidemiological surveillance in Europe.
Communicable diseases do not respect national boundaries and are important challenges to health internationally. This article aims to support the improvement and integration of surveillance systems in Europe and beyond by drawing on research comparing national systems. Definitions and concepts of epidemiological surveillance are described as a continuous systematic process that observes and reflects the real situation in society not only within but also across political boundaries. ⋯ National surveillance systems from six European Union countries and from a later comparison of twenty-six European countries are examined. An effective surveillance system can provide information for action and act as a monitoring body for health authorities. Nevertheless, many European surveillance systems still require improvement in the interests of public health.
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J Health Polit Policy Law · Oct 2012
ReviewTackling the health divide in Europe: the role of the World Health Organization.
Europe faces major health challenges in addition to its well-reported economic and financial difficulties. Despite the overall improvement in population health, significant inequalities remain, with a growing gap between rich and poor. ⋯ Its success requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to improving health and well-being, informed by the latest evidence on cost-effective interventions. This review considers the prospects for success.
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J Health Polit Policy Law · Aug 2012
The fox and the grapes: is real reform beyond reach in the United States?
As the challenges of maintaining (or, in the US case, attaining) affordable universal coverage multiply, the debate about what constitutes "real" reform intensifies in Western health care systems. The reality of reform, however, lies in the eyes of myriad beholders who variously enshrine consumer responsibility, changes in payment systems, reorganization, and other strategies -- or some encompassing combination of all of the above -- as the essential ingredient(s). This debate, increasingly informed by the agendas of health services researchers and health policy analysts, arguably serves as much or more to becloud as to clarify the practical options policy makers face and remains severely imbalanced with respect to the institutional sectors on which it concentrates, the fields of knowledge on which it draws, and the roles it envisions for markets and the state.