Friday, June 27, 2003

Federal Rules Add Burden to Costs for Uninsured Patients
Medscape Medical News story - "Federal regulations that prevent hospitals and other health providers from charging different rates for the same service end up forcing uninsured patients to pay more than those with insurance, plunging them into medical debt they can't afford, according to a new study from the Commonwealth Fund." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free]. See also the Commonwealth Fund study, Unintended Consequences: How Federal Regulations and Hospital Policies Can Leave Patients in Debt (Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

White House Moves to Influence Urban Drug Policies
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "The White House will soon begin working directly with drug officials in large U.S. cities in an effort to influence their substance abuse programs and to lower drug addiction rates, President Bush's drug czar announced Thursday. The move is intended to expose local officials to the latest proven methods of cutting illegal drug use and to increase the efficiency with which they use federal anti-drug funds, said John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Measure Calls for Wider Access to Federally Financed Research
New York Times article - "A group challenging the power of established scientific journals says legislation will be introduced to make the results of all federally financed research available to the public. The group, the Public Library of Science, which includes scientists, doctors, researchers and their public supporters, plans to announce legislation on Thursday that would give taxpayers greater access to scientific data. The group's objective is an open system of scientific publishing that would bypass the current system, which centers on journals that charge, through their subscriptions, for access to results." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free]. See also the Public Library of Science web site.