Journal of public health policy
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Over the past four decades, motorcycle helmet laws within the United States have been in a state of flux and have been shaped by the conflicting influences of the federal government's initiatives to shape state policies and motorcycle advocates' persistent lobbying efforts. Examination of individual state experiences with motorcycle helmet legislation demonstrates that universal motorcycle helmet laws effectively promote helmet use compliance, reduce morbidity and mortality in motorcycle crashes, and lower the health care costs and associated societal burdens of these crash victims. Motorcycle advocates have challenged the implementation of these laws and directly influenced the weakening or frank repeal of these laws to negative consequence. We offer this review as an educational resource to encourage and facilitate health care worker participation in legislative efforts to support implementation and maintenance of universal motorcycle helmet laws.
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The Commission on Social Determinants of Health recognized the important role of health services as a determinant of health. While asserting that health was not a tradable commodity but rather a right, the Commission missed an opportunity to address how such a concept might remove a health care system from market forces. ⋯ While the Commission was appropriately sceptical of privileging efficiency as a principle for prioritization, it missed an opportunity to address how equity concerns can be incorporated into resources allocation decision making. A social justice orientation to the delivery of health care could serve as an important catalyst for equity-oriented health service change but the process is more complicated and political than that outlined in the Commission's report.
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J Public Health Policy · Jul 2009
The tobacco excise system in Indonesia: hindering effective tobacco control for health.
Comprehensive tobacco control policies include high taxes. This paper describes the tobacco excise structure in Indonesia from 2007 to 2009. The design of the tobacco excise system contributes to neutralizing the effect of a tax increase on consumption. ⋯ Firms can reduce their prices at point of sale and absorb the tax increase instead of passing it onto consumers. Tiered tax rates by production scale allow firms to evade paying the highest tax brackets legally, thereby increasing profit margins while reducing prices at point of sale. Increases in tobacco excise rates in Indonesia may not have a large health impact under the current system of tax administration.