Thursday, July 21, 2005

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are diagnosed with alcohol use disorders AMA press release reprinted at EurekAlert, based on the 2005 eValue8 RFI Initiative, which captures voluntarily reported data from more than 250 health plans nationwide - "Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders, according to data from a national performance measurement project released today in New York City at the American Medical Association Media Briefing, Alcohol Dependence: From Science to Solutions. Based on general population rates, health plans should be diagnosing at least four or five times as many members with alcohol problems."  
  

House to Consider Association Health Plan Legislation; Proposal Would Weaken State Mental Illness Insurance Parity Laws NAMI alert - "Later this week the U.S. House of Representatives will consider legislation to vastly expand multi-employer Association Health Plans (AHPs) and undermine existing state laws that require health plans to cover treatment for mental illness on the same terms and conditions as all other illnesses – commonly referred to as parity. This proposal (HR 525) would significantly expand the scope of a federal law (known as ERISA), that exempts self-insured employer health plans from state regulation. By expanding ERISA, HR 525 would encourage employers that currently offer health plans for their workers (and their families) to switch away from coverage that meets a parity standard, i.e. plans that cover mental illnesses the same as all other illnesses."  
  

US Health Officials Try to Head off Autism Debate Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Federal health officials affirmed the safety of vaccines on Tuesday in an unusual news conference called to counter a growing movement alleging that vaccines can cause autism. Autism activists planned a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to press their contention that the government has covered up evidence linking autism to a mercury-based product once used in vaccines. They will also demand more research into autism, which they say is a growing problem." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Developments in State Medicaid Programs Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report coverage of recent Medicaid-related developments in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Utah, with links to related news stories and agency resources.  
  

Anxiety Is Often an Undiagnosed Obstacle to Mental Health Wellness  eMaxHealth.com story - "The majority of people diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder also experience symptoms of anxiety, yet almost half have not been diagnosed with or treated for an anxiety disorder, according to a new survey conducted by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). These findings suggest that both patients and physicians are not fully aware of the correlation between anxiety symptoms and other mood disorders: specifically depression and bipolar disorder."