Whitehouse Regional Forum Gets NC Talking About Health Reform

This morning North Carolinians had an honest, direct and, at times, emotional discussion about healthcare in North Carolina. Many of the issues discussed resonate with people all over America. Nancy-Ann Parle attended on behalf of the Obama administration. Parle is the director of the White House Office on Health Reform.

She asked of health insurance recipients what specific healthcare issues did they want her to convey to the Obama Administration. Of professionals she asked what were they committed to that would ensure a better future in healthcare and where the administration could support. Governor Beverly Perdue moderated the forum and stressed the need for health and wellness programs in North Carolina and nationally.

Governor Perdue talked about this proactive strategy as a long term solution to controlling healthcare costs. The Governor thinks one of the best ways to drive down healthcare costs is through education and services targeted at overall health and well-being. She also said it was necessary for Washington to provide funds and support for education and programs on health and wellness.

Many policy issues were unearthed as people told their stories and gave their take on healthcare. Physician Kevin James of Shelby NC, talked about his proposal, which he had sent to the Governor, about providing a tax credit to physicians who treat patients. He emphasized that, although funds were involved, the proposal eliminated the direct transfer of money and freed up doctors to provide care to whomever without having to worry about how they'd be compensated.

Another physician said he had to forego malpractice insurance after it cost him $44,000 per year. Small businesses and entrepreneurs discussed their inability to provide healthcare for all their employees. Others requiring long term health coverage or services discussed a frustration with the portability of Medicaid. Many programs and community centers also turned out and set up booths in the main lobby to give their perspective on healthcare and how their organization fits into its future.

In 2006-07, across the five southern states of GA, NC, SC, TN and VA, there were 457,000 non-elderly uninsured with family incomes less than 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or about $20,650 for a family of four in 2007. Those eighteen to thirty-four years of age had the highest rates of uninsurance in all five states. More than one in four of this group were uninsured. Employees in firms with fewer than 25 employees made up about half of all uninsured workers. And 1/3 of employees at these small firms were uninsured in each of the five states.

Rates of uninsurance were higher in rural areas than urban and from 2000 o 2007 rates of uninsurance have increased by 1.5 to 4.7 percentage points in each of the five states.

Biogen Idec May Develop Treatment for Tysabri Side Effect

Tysabri is an effective drug for treating multiple sclerosis, however, the drug was pulled from the market in 2005 after three cases of Progressive Multifocal Encephalopathy were reported.

The drug was later cleared by the FDA after it was determined that it's effectiveness outweighed it's risks.

This is the opinion of the FDA. PML is a brain infection that cuases irreversible damage and can be fatal. Since 2008 there have been five new cases of PML.

It was reported today that Biogen Idec is testing a treatment for PML as a side effect of Tysabri.

Tysabri, a laboratory-engineered antibody, is designed to suppress the immune attack that leads to MS.

Biogen has been searching for a PML treatment since 2005 when the first cases of were reported. The drug that has shown the most promise recently is called mefloquine and is a pill used to treat malaria.

A clinical trial is now testing mefloquine in 40 patients with PML from any cause, whether drug-related or HIV. Biogen is trying to see if the drug is effective at treating PML after the infection has already developed, since this is likely to be the case in affected Tysabri users.

Inclusive Health Day Debuts 35th High Risk Insurance Pool in Nation

North Carolina has a new initiative to cover "uninsured and hard to insure citizens." A press conference was held at the Wake Medical Center's Raleigh campus on New Bern Avenue. Inclusive Health is a "semi-governmental" agency that will "provide access to quality non-group health care coverage to individuals whose health and/or medical history qualifies them as “high risk” and at a price that is lower than that charged to high-risk individuals by commercial health insurers."

Dr. Bill Atkins, CEO of WakeMed, referred to the number of unemployed citizens in the richest nation in the world as a "political and social embarrassment" and said that healthcare in the United States "is an issue that needs to be solved on a much larger scale."

Wayne Goodman, NC Insurance Commissioner and former House Representative for Richmond, Scotland, Montgomery and Stanly counties, emphasized every citizens right to healthcare coverage and called some situations of uninsurance as "inhumane." He encouraged all in attendance to "get to work on the number of North Carolinians without health insurance."

Attendees also heard from Inclusive Health member Christopher Estes. A former Optician, Mr. Estes was laid off from his job due to his diagnosis with Parkinson. Under his employer Estes had paid $212 per month for coverage of himself and his wife. The cost of insurance, quoted at $1181 per month, coupled with the cost of his medications exceeded his monthly disability benefits. "Without this[Inclusive Health] I would not be able to afford my medications," Estes said.

North Carolina is the 35th high risk insurance pool in the nation.

You or someone you know can find out if Inclusive Health should be your choice for healthcare coverage by visiting www.inclusivehealth.org

Gov. Perdue Releases Budget

How do you close a $3.4 billion dollar budget shortfall? That depends on who you ask. Governor Beverly Perdue and Senate democrats have their ideas, and their critics. Perdue has proposed giving state institutions less money to pay the salaries of their employees on the premise that a portion of this money never gets paid out. The "lapsed salaries," as the extra $$ is referred to, state agencies and universities use for paying temporary workers and over-time. They claim depriving them of the money would result in cuts elsewhere to make up the difference.

All state institutions will take a hit from the budget cuts with the exception of public education. One million has also been allotted for healthcare program HCBG and there is a $150 "caregiver tax credit." In addition to $3 billion on government stimulus, eliminating lapsed salaries, Perdue has proposed increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol. Critics argue this places an unfair burden on poorer families where such products constitute a higher portion of their spending.

Unfortunately, healthcare programs used by those who live with MS will see a decrease in funding. Notably, modification physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy benefits. Budget architects claim the savings generated from these cuts alone could be 14% of projected expenditures. In order to "reduce over utilization of services," the benefits of personal care services will be similarly slashed; the government claims 15% of projected expenditures can be saved.

To the state government's credit balancing a $3.4 billion deficit is probably impossible. We didn't get here over night. It is a crisis decades in the making.

Innovation in Bone Marrow Growth and Stem Cells

Bone marrow plays an important role in the immune system and bodily rejuvenation. Stem cells that originate within bone marrow generate various sorts of infection-fighting blood cells and help repair damaged organs. At the university of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Nicholas Kotov and colleagues have been trying to artificially grow bone marrow.

Dr. Kotov's team has tried to replicate the 3-D interior of bone using a material called hydromel, which is soft. To account for bone's rigidity, Kotov seeded liquid hydromel with tiny granules of polystyrene. Upon solidification the granules were dissolved in tetrahydrofurane, a solvent, leaving a porous structure. This is key, because in the body stem cells, from which marrow is formed, grow in tiny pores within the bone. Once the matrix was complete, researchers transplanted donor bone marrow into the culture.

In the journal Biomaterials Kotov's team reported that cells placed in the artificial environment behaved as if they were in real bone-marrow tissue. In further tests, an introduction of influenze virus prompted cultured cells to release antibodies to destroy the viruses. It's enough to spark the imaginations of scientific and medical optimists. From here, researchers can study the deleterious effects certain drug therapies have on bone marrow and associated stem cells. Who knows, if tissue engineering pioneers like Kotov could one day design drug resistant bone marrow, powerful drug treatment could better target a disease by minimizing harm to a patient's body.

Obama Will Overturn Bush Administration Policy on Stem Cells

Former President George W. Bush imposed limits on the amount of federal spending that could go toward embryonic stem cell research. Today President Obama will sign an executive order or stem cells and a memo on science in an East Room Ceremony. Bush limited taxpayer money for embryonic stem cell research to a small number of stem cell lines that were created before Aug. 9, 2001. Many of those faced drawbacks.

Hundreds more of such lines — groups of cells that can continue to propagate in lab dishes — have been created since then. Scientists say those newer lines are healthier and better suited to creating treatments for diseases, but they were largely off-limits to researchers who took federal dollars. Prior to enactment of this policy, scientists had to rely on donations and private funding. Now they'll be able to apply for government grants to support their research. This is the same way other forms of research is funded.

Stimulus Bill Could Be the Beginning Of a New Day in Healthcare

In addition to the 147.7 billion of stimulus monies that will go toward revamping healthcare there are some exciting adjustments regarding patient privacy. In August of 2001 the Bush Administration amended the HIPAA Privacy Rule, allowing business and medical professionals to share patient medical records, without the consent of the patient, in routine medical procedures. This eventually opened the door to companies that previously did not have access.

Companies like Ingenix who is owned by the UnitedHealth Group, recently settled a $50million suit with the New York Attorney general, made billions off selling patient prescription profiles to insurance companies. The scandal has reverberated within the medical community.





Based on the provided information insurance companies could refuse coverage. The new protections in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) require that inadvertent or unintentional breaches are exempt from reporting requirements only if there is no possibility that the PHI was later disclosed or misused.

So, at last Americans have a strong federal right to be notified if the privacy of their health information is breached. It is imperative that those who have access to our professional health information be held accountable for its use. Here are some important requirements to increase protection of patient health information.

1.) Prohibits the sale of medical records without consent.

2.) Adds strong new limits on the use of PHI for marketing

3.) Requires any covered entity or business associate using an EHR to keep an audit trail of all people and organizations who access a patients PHI and with whom they share a patient’s information for 3 years.

4.) Requires data encryption

5.) Increases monetary penalties for violations

6.) Grants funds for non-profits to participate in the regulatory process.

This Week Is MS Awareness Week

Today begins MS Awareness Week. The purpose of MS Awareness week is not only to make people aware of how this disease affects people's lives but also make them aware of what they can do and how they can be involved in a growing movement against MS. As a person who has some interest in MS or, at the very least, has stumbled upon this blog and would like to learn more. Here are some current news topics about MS as well as some upcoming ways to get involved. In the video below, you can read some quotes from everyday people, like you and I, who comment on their experiences with MS.

1.)MS Research Funds at Stake: Contact Your Members of Congress
Any day now Congress will start making decisions about crucial funding for MS research. This legislation would invest $15 million to support MS researchers whose discoveries could hold the key to new treatments or a cure.

2.)Several North Carolina Organizations have formed a coalition in response to what could be deadly cuts in funding for their programs. The coalition is called Together North Carolina, with representation from teachers, state employers, healthcare and children's advocates. With North Carolina's budget deficit, Together North Carolina is worried the state may try to "cut their way out."

3.)The National MS Society's Eastern Chapter will host the annual Walk MS in cities across eastern North Carolina. Register Today.

April 4, 2009
Fayetteville Walk MS
Plymouth Walk MS

April 25, 2009
Triangle Walk MS

May 2, 2009
Greenville Walk MS
Wilmington Walk MS