Indiana Discrimination Case
An Indiana diabetes patient who was turned down for a promotion because of his illness has won a lawsuit in federal court. Gary Branham sued the Internal Revenue Service, claiming that he was unfairly denied a promotion because he had diabetes. The promotion to special agent would have required Mr. Branham to carry a gun. The jury agreed that Branham was qualified for the job despite his diabetes and awarded him $78,000 in back pay, but no damages for pain and suffering. Mr. Branham's attorney, John Griffin, said the verdict “brings to light some of the stereotypes and myths that exist about diabetes. The fact is, it doesn't limit us in doing our job.” Mr. Griffin noted that one of his expert witnesses was Dr. Charles Clark, former president of the American Diabetes Association.
New CEO at JDRF
Arnold Donald has been named the president and CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Mr. Donald is chairman and CEO of the Merisant Company, which produces artificial sweeteners Equal and Canderel. He replaces Peter Van Etten, who is retiring after 6 years as president and CEO. “Arnold Donald has a long and successful track record in leading science and consumer-based businesses, and an even longer resume of community involvement, charitable activities, and government advocacy,” said Robert D. German, chairman of the foundation's board of directors. “He is uniquely qualified to build on the strong record that Peter Van Etten helped forge for JDRF in setting the pace and direction for research around the world leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.”
Behaviors Leading to Death
By the time they enter adulthood, a large percentage of American youth have already begun the behaviors that lead to preventable causes of death, according to a study from the Carolina Population Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers studied a nationally representative sample of more than 14,000 young adults; they were first interviewed from 1994 to 1995 when they were 12–19 years old, and interviewed again in 2001 and 2002, at ages 19–26 years. For nearly all groups surveyed, diet, obesity, and access to health care worsened; tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use and the likelihood of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease increased. This “doesn't bode well for their future health, especially if these habits become established,” said Kathleen M. Harris, Ph.D., the study's principal investigator. The study appears in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
Health Care Spending 2004
Growth in U.S. health care spending slowed for the second straight year in 2004, increasing by only 7.9%, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' annual report on health care spending. This compares with the 8.2% growth rate in 2003 and 9.1% growth rate in 2002. Slower growth in prescription drug spending has contributed to this overall slowdown. In 2004, prescription drugs accounted for only 11% of the growth in national health care expenditures, smaller than its share of the increase in recent years. Spending for physician services grew 9% in 2004, nearly the same as the 8.6% increase experienced in 2003.
Passport to Medicaid
Citizens applying for Medicaid may soon have to produce a passport or a birth certificate to prove they are U.S. citizens. Such a requirement will take effect July 1 if Congress passes budget reconciliation legislation that was pending at press time. The new rule also would apply to all citizens currently receiving Medicaid when they seek to renew their Medicaid eligibility, which in most cases must be done every 6 months. The intent of the rule was to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining Medicaid by falsely claiming citizenship or resident alien status. Yet, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said that the provision threatens Medicaid coverage for many patients. Roughly 49 million low-income Americans, including 12 million African Americans and 800,000 elderly African Americans, would be subject to the new requirement between July 2006 and June 2007, the center indicated in a report. “This ill-conceived requirement would exacerbate a historical legacy of discrimination and could cause many elderly African Americans to lose access to health care,” stated Leighton Ku, a senior fellow at the center and coauthor of the report. Many of these individuals lack passports and do not have birth certificates in their possession. Medicaid applicants who have neither of these documents could find that their coverage is denied or seriously delayed.