Kentucky is launching an electronic medical record program that will create a database of health records on newborn infants. Public health departments will be able to update the records throughout the patient's life with information such as when vaccines were received. The state plans to mine the database for information on each patient in order to see who is most at risk for chronic diseases, such as emphysema and diabetes. The state would then target public health education efforts with the goal of reducing the state's cost of health care.
BEEF ON BEEF
Maine recently adopted a purchasing policy that states a preference for buying meat that has not been treated with antibiotics to promote growth. While this will indicate to meat sellers that the state prefers not to purchase their products, it does not have the force of a ban: Public schools, the University of Maine system and other state institutions will have some leeway based on what is available. The legislative directive comes in response to growing evidence that giving antibiotics to animals can lead to the creation and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.
GOLDEN GIFT
Even as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have brought universal health care coverage to California, San Francisco got ready to become the first city in the country to offer it. The San Francisco Health Access Plan, which will be launched next summer, will cover an estimated 82,000 uninsured adults, or 11 percent of the city's population, regardless of employment, existing health conditions or citizenship status. While the program is not free, participants will have to pay only a small premium--around $35 per month. Coverage will include hospitalization, prescriptions, lab work and X-rays, all of which must be provided within city or county limits. The program is expected to cost $200 million per year and be paid for by premiums, business contributions and tax dollars--and some of the $104 million that currently goes toward treating the uninsured at emergency rooms.
