“You do not curse away the darkness of the night; you illuminate your area by holding up a light.” -Terry Sanford
All in Health Care Policy
By Blake Holt, staff editor As President Obama and the Republicans offer competing visions for balancing the federal budget, it is important to be clear about the scope of the problems we face and the options available to address those problems moving forward. However, the current debate seems to be ignoring the steps already taken to reduce the deficit.
By Jenny Orgill, staff editor When New York City passed its menu labeling law in 2008, nutritionists were excited to see how improved health information would affect consumers’ choices. They hoped for healthier food options, reduced consumption, less obesity, and less diabetes. In the wake of the New York City law, counties across the country began passing similar requirements for restaurants. But the results of such laws have been discouraging.
By Lauren Hungarland, staff editor Everyone knows that USDA dietary guidelines are traditionally made of equal servings of politics and science. Some hoped that the Obama administration would strike a different tone, paying more attention to dietary research and less to food industry lobbyists. Viewed from this perspective, the recently announced Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a mixed bag.
by Dan Behrend, staff editor Does avoiding potential damage to a school district’s public image outweigh the benefits of bringing national attention to unhealthy school lunches and high rates of childhood obesity? The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) seemed to respond in the affirmative when it recently rejected an offer to become the new focus of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
By Gillian Grissom, staff editor Even if you’re only an occasional television viewer, I doubt you’ve missed the ubiquitous Domino’s Pizza commercials promoting its new, improved specialty pizza recipes. Perhaps you’ve even noticed the “New Wisconsin 6 Cheese” offering, the newest member of its “Legends” line? What I’m sure you did miss, however, is the fact that a typical serving of this new recipe contains about three-quarters of the maximum recommended daily amount of saturated fat. And two-thirds of the maximum recommended sodium intake.
By Gillian Grissom, staff editor A recent New York Times article observes the blossoming friendship between Big Beverage and interest groups opposed to New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed plan to redefine eligible items for purchase under SNAP. While the beverage lobbies initially seem unlikely partners for what the author calls the “[t]raditional, old-line liberals in the shaggy, idealistic, antihunger, antipoverty sector,” the groups have plenty on which to agree regarding this proposed policy modification.While I typically cast myself in the “shaggier” camp, I do think Bloomberg might be on to something here.
By Patricia J. Liever, staff editor Following last month’s UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there has been increasing coverage of the impending failure of developed countries to reach their lofty goals by 2015. Critics have suggested amending the goals, replacing them with something a bit more realistically achievable. By suggesting this, critics disregard one of the central purposes of the MDGs: uniting those passionate about development under the banner of ending global poverty.
By Jamie Attard, staff editor Africans must often bear the painful consequences of war wounds, injuries, cancer, AIDS, and childbirth without any relief. In an article titled “A lot of pain,” the Economist reported on September 30, 2010 that Africans today have limited access to morphine and other painkillers. A number of existing organizations could take the lead in providing these desperately needed medicines.
By Kristy Marynak This article examines child-only cases within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which currently comprise 47 percent of the overall TANF caseload. Child-only cases exclude adults from the benefit calculation, providing aid only to children, and exempt adults from work requirements and time limits. This article reviews the narrow literature on child-only TANF populations, distinguishing between “non-parental” cases involving relative caregivers and “parental” cases involving parents who are ineligible for benefits because of sanctions, alien status, or SSI receipt. The article then discusses the inadequate communication and collaboration between TANF agencies and the child welfare system; describes unproven, though innovative, state efforts to assist child-only populations; and concludes with the recommendation that Congress should expand the 2011 President’s Budget request to include competitive grants for programs that address the child-only population’s needs and sponsor third-party studies to test the programs’ impacts on child outcomes.
By Jason Richie*Published exclusively online
Although the intense debate surrounding health care reform has drawn attention to a variety of important issues, there has been little discussion regarding the denial of coverage to victims of domestic violence. Eight states—including North Carolina, Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Carolina, and South Dakota—and the District of Columbia still allow insurers to deny health care coverage to victims of domestic abuse – a practice known as “pinklining.”
By Sarah Cassanego*Published exclusively online
Today’s debate over comprehensive health care reform in the United States suffers from a lack of historical perspective. Many in the public seem to think that the crisis in our health care system recently appeared on the political scene. But in fact, the first calls for universal coverage came not under President Clinton in the 1990’s, or even President Johnson in the 1960’s, but during the Progressive Era – almost a century ago. In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt ran for president as the Progressive Party candidate on a platform that included national health insurance. Irving Fisher, a prominent Yale economist and reform leader, argued in 1917 that health insurance must be universal and obligatory – something he also thought was right around the corner.