Harvard World Health News - Medicaid, TB, Birth Control and pharmacies

The Medicaid Documentation Mess
Editorial (The New York Times, Mar. 19, 2007)
"Exaggerated fears that illegal immigrants are fraudulently receiving Medicaid health benefits have led to a crackdown that is preventing tens of thousands of American citizens from obtaining legitimate coverage. Congress, whose mindless actions led to this travesty, needs to fix this injustice." Free registration required.

Rise of a Deadly TB Reveals a Global System in Crisis
Lawrence K. Altman, M.D. (The New York Times, Mar. 20, 2007)
"The spread of a particularly virulent form of tuberculosis in South Africa illustrates a breakdown in the global program that is supposed to keep the disease, one of the world’s deadliest, under control." Free registration required.

Birth Control Prices Soar on U.S. College Campuses
(Associated Press, Mar. 23, 2007)
"Prices for oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, are doubling and tripling at student health centers, the result of a complex change in the Medicaid rebate law that essentially ends an incentive for drug companies to provide deep discounts to colleges."

A Pharmacy in This Neighborhood? Are You Crazy?
(Reuters, Mar. 22, 2007)
"Since January, Patricia Roberts has had access to something that many of the poorest people in the United States can only dream of: a pharmacy in her neighborhood. The nation's first not-for-profit pharmacy is located in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati's most notorious neighborhood -- one that is more blighted by boarded-up buildings than blessed with brand new businesses."