With prescription drug prices on the rise, more and more states are pooling the purchases of their state agencies and are joining together with other states to negotiate large prescription drug discounts. As this report details, numerous states are already saving substantial sums using purchasing pools. But Idaho lags behind the Northwest and the nationContinue reading “Idaho Lags Behind Region and Nation in Prescription Drug Savings”
Author Archives: Alliance for a Just Society
Medicaid Supports Idaho’s County Economics
This report provides an overview of the important contributions Medicaid makes to the economy of and quality of life in Idaho. Throughout the state, Medicaid spending directly purchases goods and services, and supports health care industry jobs for Idaho’s counties. These direct health care purchases trigger further cycles of earning and purchases that ripple throughoutContinue reading “Medicaid Supports Idaho’s County Economics”
Living Sicker, Dying Younger: Montana’s Indian People Suffer from Inadequate Health Care
Montana’s Indian people have poorer health, higher disease rates, lower life expectancy and greater difficulty obtaining health care than other Montanans. Nearly 40 percent of American Indians in Montana are uninsured. Many are ineligible for Indian Health Services (IHS) because they do not live on a reservation and/or are not a member of a federallyContinue reading “Living Sicker, Dying Younger: Montana’s Indian People Suffer from Inadequate Health Care”
New Mexico Considers Universal Health Care Coverage, But Will Universal Also Mean Quality and Affordable?
Governor Bill Richardson handily won his election in 2003, returning the state to Democratic rule after eight years under a Republican governor. Richardson campaigned on universal health care, promising health care coverage to every New Mexican within four years. While his health care task force continues to meet and a formal plan has not yetContinue reading “New Mexico Considers Universal Health Care Coverage, But Will Universal Also Mean Quality and Affordable?”
How Do the Democratic Presidential Candidates’ Health Care Plans Stack Up?
All the Democratic presidential candidates have made detail-laden speeches explaining how they would provide health coverage for uninsured Americans and revamp the Bush administration’s tax policies. Still, the proposals from the Democratic candidates represent an abandonment of the incremental steps in political favor since the Clinton plan was quashed in 1994 and promise to dramaticallyContinue reading “How Do the Democratic Presidential Candidates’ Health Care Plans Stack Up?”
Idaho’s Challenge: Is Something Always Better Than Nothing When it Comes to Health Care?
Since Idaho Governor Batt used CHIP funds to expand Medicaid for children up to 150 percent of poverty by executive order in 1997, Idaho Republicans have been looking for ways to gut the state’s already lean Medicaid program. By crafting an expansion program that promises to provide some health insurance to those who currently haveContinue reading “Idaho’s Challenge: Is Something Always Better Than Nothing When it Comes to Health Care?”
Maine Builds Universal Health Coverage, But Will Employers Come?
Maine’s Governor Baldacci made health care a central issue of his campaign, frequently referring to Maine’s “health care crisis” during speeches. Over 180,000 Mainers are without health care coverage, and the state faces rapidly rising health care costs. Dirigo Health, the centerpiece of Governor Baldacci’s legislative agenda, follows several years of significant health care advancesContinue reading “Maine Builds Universal Health Coverage, But Will Employers Come?”
Shared History, Shared Hopes: A Photo Exhibit Documenting the Contributions, Struggles and Dreams of Idaho’s Immigrant Communities
All human beings deserve respect for their dignity and human rights. Idaho’s immigrants will continue contributing and giving to Idaho – and also striving for the promise of justice and equity to be fulfilled. Download the report.
Medicaid: Someone You Know Needs It – The Impact of Medicaid Spending on …
… King County’s Economy … Snohomish County’s Economy … the Economies of Pierce and Thurston Counties … Spokane County’s Economy This series of reports provide overviews of the important contributions Medicaid make to the economies of and the quality of life in various counties. Medicaid spending directly purchases goods and services, and supports health careContinue reading “Medicaid: Someone You Know Needs It – The Impact of Medicaid Spending on …”
No End in Sight: The War on the Poor Continues in Montana
Over the past five years, Montana’s Legislature passed large tax breaks for big corporations and the wealthy. Montana ends the legislative session basically where it began: with an unstable revenue stream and deep cuts to public programs that worsen economic conditions, increase the state’s long term costs and budget problems, and shred Montana’s safety netContinue reading “No End in Sight: The War on the Poor Continues in Montana”