Lobbying and advocacy for the public's health: what are the limits for nonprofit organizations?
(1/53)
Nonprofit organizations play an important role in advocating for the public's health in the United States. This article describes the rules under US law for lobbying by nonprofit organizations. The 2 most common kinds of non-profits working to improve the public's health are "public charities" and "social welfare organizations." Although social welfare organizations may engage in relatively unlimited lobbying, public charities may not engage in "substantial" lobbying. Lobbying is divided into 2 main categories. Direct lobbying refers to communications with law-makers that take a position on specific legislation, and grassroots lobbying includes attempts to persuade members of the general public to take action regarding legislation. Even public charities may engage in some direct lobbying and a smaller amount of grassroots lobbying. Much public health advocacy, however, is not lobbying, since there are several important exceptions to the lobbying rules. These exceptions include "non-partisan analysis, study, or research" and discussions of broad social problems. Lobbying with federal or earmarked foundation funds is generally prohibited. (+info)
A Marxian interpretation of the growth and development of coronary care technology.
(2/53)
Cost containment efforts will fail if they continue to ignore the structural relationships between health care costs and private profit in capitalist society. The recent history of coronary care shows that apparent irrationalities of health policy make sense from the standpoint of capitalist profit structure. Coronary care units (CCUs) gained wide acceptance, despite high costs. Studies of CCU effectiveness, using random controlled trials and epidemiologic techniques, do not show a consistent advantage of CCUs over non-intensive ward care or simple rest at home. From a Marxian perspective, the proliferation of CCUs and similar innovations is a complex historical process that includes initiatives by industrial corporations, cooperation by clinical investigators at academic medical centers, support by private philanthropies linked to corporate interests, intervention by state agencies, and changes in the health care labor force. Cost-effective methodology obscures the profit motive as a basic source of high costs and ineffective practices. Health-policy alternatives curtailing corporate involvement in medicine would reduce costs by restricting profit. (+info)
Giving for (dental) charity's sake.
(3/53)
Just what is it that holds us back from giving to charities, or giving more to charities? Is it the oft quoted 'compassion fatigue' or is there something deeper at work? (+info)
Psychotherapy services outside the National Health Service.
(4/53)
With the help of an Upjohn Travelling Fellowship, I visited 15 units providing services for people under stress. There were nine residential units and six non-residential units, all were Christian charitable organisations and in all there was close co-operation with the medical profession.All these organisations accept referrals from general practitioners and deserve to be more widely known. (+info)
Charitable Choice regulations applicable to states receiving Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants, Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness formula grants, and to public and private providers receiving discretionary grant funding from SAMHSA for the provision of substance abuse services providing for equal treatment of SAMHSA program participants. Final rule.
(5/53)
On December 17, 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the Charitable Choice statutory provisions of the Public Health Service Act, applicable to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant program, the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) formula grant program, insofar as recipients provide substance abuse services, and to SAMHSA discretionary grants for substance abuse treatment or prevention services, which are all administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Secretary requested comments on the NPRM and gave 60 days for individuals to submit their written comments to the Department. The Secretary has considered the comments received during the open comment period and is issuing the final regulation in light of those comments. (+info)
The courts and health policy: strengths and limitations.
(6/53)
In recent years the nation's courts have expanded their influence in health policy in four areas: reviewing insurers' coverage decisions, deciding the adequacy of Medicaid payment rates to hospitals and nursing homes, arbitrating hospital mergers, and assessing hospitals' tax-exempt status. The major problem with developing health policy through the courts is that the courts' focus will be the concerns of the individuals or groups involved in specific cases, not the broader implications and overall objectives of the health care system. As alternatives to litigation to resolve policy conflicts, scholars have suggested negotiation, binding arbitration, clarification of legislative language, administrative courts, contract revision, and general restructuring of the decision-making process. (+info)
How the expansion of hospital systems has affected consumers.
(7/53)
The past decade has seen profound changes in how the hospital industry has organized itself, including the rising importance of hospital systems. Theoretically, system consolidation can have positive effects from improved efficiency and quality or negative effects from greater market power. This study examines which hospitals consolidate and finds that hospitals were more likely to join systems if they were for-profit institutions, were located in urban areas, or had high managed care loads. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that system formation has primarily served to increase market power, not improve patient care quality or hospital efficiency, at least in the short run. (+info)
Acupuncture for substance abuse treatment in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.
(8/53)
In British Columbia, Canada, the City of Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside (DES) represents the poorest urban population in Canada. A prevalence rate of 30% for HIV and 90% for hepatitis C makes this a priority area for public-health interventions aimed at reducing the use of injected drugs. This study examined the utility of acupuncture treatment in reducing substance use in the marginalized, transient population. Acupuncture was offered on a voluntary, drop-in basis 5 days per week at two community agencies. During a 3-month period, the program generated 2,755 client visits. A reduction in overall use of substances (P=.01) was reported by subjects in addition to a decrease in intensity of withdrawal symptoms including "shakes," stomach cramps, hallucinations, "muddle-headedness," insomnia, muscle aches, nausea, sweating, heart palpitations, and feeling suicidal, P<.05. Acupuncture offered in the context of a community-based harm reduction model holds promise as an adjunct therapy for reduction of substance use. (+info)