Tough Times Ahead for Next President

Are the US Presidential candidates building castles in the air? If reports are to be believed, the countless promises they have made regarding health care and other issues are going to be really difficult to implement. The reason being that in present day US, the budget deficit is rising, tax collection is slowing down and the national debt is soon going to cross the $10 trillion mark.

Not just this but even the federal deficit is estimated to reach a record high of $400 billion by the end of this fiscal year. If nothing is done as regards policy changes, then the promised Medicaid and Medicare programs are likely to gulp down over 50 percent of federal spending till 2050.  Read more

House Agrees to War Appropriation Bill

As per the Washington Post reports, the $257.5 billion War Appropriations Bill (HR 2642) has been passed by the House. The bill has been passed along with a clause that allows for the delay of six Medicaid regulations that have been proposed by the Bush government. The approval was given via two votes- for war spending (268-115) and another for domestic programs and spending (416-12).

 The passage of this bill was no easy task. It took weeks of negotiations between the Democrats, the White House and the chambers. It is being heralded as a victory for many Republicans, Democrats and governors all over the country against the irresponsible Bush administration that has designed these rules to cut down on Medicare expenses.
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Mental Health Care for Kids Improves

A recent study published in the June issue of Medical Care says that with the expansion of the EPSDT Program (Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment) in California, accessibility to mental health care for children has greatly improved. The principle author of this study is Lonnie R. Snowden, a PhD of University of California, and Berkley.

The biggest improvement is said to have been in the rural areas and communities where there is a higher percentage of children suffering from health problems and who are not given adequate care. These areas are known to have a history of poor state funding when it comes to medical health services. The study reflected on the changes that have influenced children’s access to mental health care which was the major aim of the EPSDT expansion.  

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APA Fights On

On the latest in the medical world, Nada Stotland, MD, MPH and President APA said that the American Psychiatric Association will continue its struggle for legislation to stop the unfairness of the system which discriminates against Medicare patients who are in genuine need of mental health care.

 This comment was made by Dr. Stotland after the chance to debate on the Bill was lost on Thursday as they were six votes shorter than the necessary requirement of sixty votes.

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