Guest Speakers
True or False? Senator Bingaman stated that special interest groups have unreasonable influence in the legislative process.
True.
The Social Security Act was passed after the Great Depression and did NOT include universal health insurance. However, many people became insured in 1965 when the Social Security Act was amended to create these two programs.
Medicare and Medicaid
This political party believes that a government funded health care system will reduce efficiency in care delivery
What is the Republican Party?
True or False? State governments have a major role in medical tort reform.
True. Individual states have imposed caps on damages. Different states call for different claim review processes (some assign review to a state board, some call for arbitration/alternative resolution processes)
True or false? Equity is not included in either of the standard definitions for quality healthcare.
False.
The Institute of Medicine's definition: “safe, effective,patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable.”
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality definition: “doing the right thing for the right patient, at the right time, in the right way, to achieve the best possible results"
According to Joe Thompson, this was the most negative impact of the Citizens United decision.
Negative ads and messaging funded by out-of-states Political Action Committees (PACs)
Members of this political party support increased federal funding for graduate medical education (GME) and community health centers
Democratic
This level of government is responsible for protecting public health by overseeing environmental health inspections, outbreak investigations, the Vaccines for Children program, and other services. (Options: Federal, State, City)
State
True or false? Medical tort claims are at a historic high
False: medical tort filings peaked in the 1980s and now represent abot 4% of civil filings
True or false? Before approving a new drug, the FDA reviews Comparative Effectiveness Research about the drug's affordability and performance
False: FDA approves drugs if they are deemed safe and effective for their intended purposed, but new drugs don't have to be more effective than existing drugs to be approved.
True or false? Joe Thompson said he did not believe lobbyists' personal relationships with other stakeholders should affect their work.
False. Thompson stated that he had built friendships with other stakeholders by being honest and establishing trust.
First passed in 1944 and amended many times since, this piece of legislation allows the the federal government to waive and modify the terms of Medicaid and other programs when a public health emergency is declared
Public Health Service Act
This provision of the Affordable Care Act was ruled unconstitutional in 2017. Its repeal has led to increasing insurance premiums for insurance plans purchased in the state marketplaces.
What is the individual mandate?
True or False? Mental Health Parity was written into the legislation that created Medicare and Medicaid.
False.
Members of this political party have suggested price caps to control the costs of pharmaceuticals, proposing to tax manufacturers for 100% of any profit exceeding this cap.
What is the Democratic Party?
Joe Thompson named this category of professionals to most influential lobby group
Trial lawyers
Better known as a source of insurance for about 15% of the US population, this program is also the leading source of funding for direct and indirect GME programs.
Medicare
This piece of legislation prohibits insurance companies from setting premium costs based on a person's health status, age, or gender
The Affordable Care Act
This approach to estimating the value of mental health posits that economic growth depends on labor and capital, both of which can be negatively influenced by disease.
Economic Growth approach
Launched in 2006, this program helps cover the cost of pharmaceuticals for people 65 and older
Medicare Part D
Senator Bingaman cited this as the most pressing issue the legislature should deal with, but did not have high expectations for the current Congress to pass effective legislation about it
Climate change
Sometimes called "mid-level providers," these two categories of health care professionals are understood as key to solving the primary care physician shortage
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants
True or False? Harry Truman, in the 1940s, was the first president to propose national health insurance.
False! Teddy Roosevelt proposed comprehensive social insurance (including health insurance) in 1912.
This approach to estimate the costs of mental health disorders looks at direct costs (medication, treatment) and indirect costs (disability, lost productivity)
Human Capital Approach
The 2005 Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act authorized initiatives to reduce this problem, which some studies suggest is the third leading cause of death in the US
What are medical errors?