The two biggest issues emerging for US state legislatures are drugformulary legislation and medical privacy, according to the annual State of the States survey conducted by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and reported by Reuters Health.
Last year, the states' top priority was expanding access to health care insurance, with 19 states proposing legislation in this area and 33 planning to do so this year, the survey found. The next biggest issues in 2000 were reported to be managed care reforms and health plan regulation.
Formularies are "an area where states are really in a tough place," according to Susan Laudicina, director of state services research at BCBSA. On the one hand, the states are providers of health insurance to state employees and those on Medicaid programs, but on the other they are consumer advocates, she says. Drug formularies are an attempt to spread the cost of prescription drugs fairly, and for the most part they are effective, says Ms Laudicina, adding: "I predict that legislation regulating formularies may have the undesired result of driving up costs for everybody."
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