The U.S. legal system gives parents the authority and responsibility to make decisions about their children's health care, and favors parental rights over society's collective responsibility to provide for children's welfare. Neither the federal government nor state governments have an affirmative obligation to protect and promote children's…

The five largest insular areas of the United States--American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--receive federal funding through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), joint federal-state programs that finance health care for certain low-income…

Context: Illicit drug use is common in rural areas, but very little research has investigated rural populations' access to drug abuse services. Purpose: To describe the current state of the scientific literature on access to drug abuse services in rural areas and suggest directions for future research. Methods: We performed a literature review of…

This report concerns the medical malpractice situation in the United States and contains information on the cost of malpractice insurance for physicians and hospitals. The report contains an executive summary and four chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the background of the problem and the objectives, scope, and methodology of the report. Chapter 2…

Among 10 principles arising from a symposium on health services for mentally retarded persons in the community are the need for: multiple options for health care delivery; a stable primary care "medical home"; a health care network; presence of resource centers for specialty care; and establishment of a health care clearinghouse. (DB)

Statements and papers presented to the U.S. Senate during 3 days of hearings on the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act Amendments of 1983 are included in this document. Witnesses include physicians, psychologists, human services administrators, parents, heads of social service agencies, and organizations advocating…

This report was written to provide current information on the existence of medical malpractice problems and the need for federal involvement and alternatives for resolving malpractice claims. It presents the perceptions of respondents from 37 nationally based organizations representing medical, legal, insurance, and consumer interests who…

Testimonies and related materials from a Congressional hearing on Medicare and Medicaid reform are presented. Chairman Mike Synar's opening remarks deal with the need to maintain quality health care and access to care in the era of such cost containment policies as Diagnostic Related Groups. The chairman calls for reform of the Medicare and…

Comparison of the hospitalization experiences of 36 people with mental retardation under a managed care program model with those not enrolled (n=50) found that patients in the care coordination group had shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions, and were less severely ill upon admission. Costs of care coordination were partially offset by…

This is a report of a Congressional hearing held in Jefferson City, Missouri on the crisis in health care for the elderly in Missouri. Representative Ike Skelton's opening statement notes that the purpose of the series of hearings being held around the country, of which this is one, is to examine the effect of changes in the Medicare program on…

The editorial describes a proposed interagency university-based social/health maintenance model to provide health and medical services to developmentally disabled persons in the Buffalo, New York, area. (DB)

This document contains witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine problems in the partnership of Medicare and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO's). Opening statements are included from committee chairman Claude Pepper and from Representative Lawrence J. Smith. Two panels of witnesses address…

This document presents witnesses' testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine the issue of equal access to health care and the practice of patient dumping which may take the form of transferring a patient to another hospital, refusing to treat a patient, or subjecting a patient to long delays, and which may…

This document contains witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine issues involved in maintaining and strengthening Medicare Health Maintenance Orgranizations (HMO). Opening statements are included from Representatives Edward Roybal, Matthew Rinaldo, Mario Biaggi, Don Bonker, Robert Borski, Louise…

A Senate hearing reviewing health care services available for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia and reviewing proposals related to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is presented in this document. Statements are given by Senators Charles E. Grassley, Albert Gore, Paula Hawkins, Howard M. Metzenbaum, Larry Pressler, and Paul…