Friday, May 28, 2004
The one fund the governor wants to raid that really worries me. The Metabolic Screening and Treatment Fund this fund is used to pay for this...
Beginning July 1, 2002, provide all newborns with expanded screening tests for the presence of genetic, endocrine, or other metabolic disorders, including phenylketonuria, galactosemia, hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, biotinidase deficiency, and sickling disorders, as well as other amino acid disorders, organic acid disorders, fatty acid oxidation disorders, and other abnormalities detectable through the use of a tandem mass
spectrometer.
Moneys shall be appropriated from such Fund to the Department of Public Health solely for the purposes of
providing metabolic screening, follow-up and treatment programs.
FYI -- The department of public health is authorized to charage a fee for the tests. It would appear the only money to go into this fund is from fees for testing.
-- Ok some disclosure here, Mrs. OneMan is a Nurse Practioner who works and see paitents in an Endocronolgy practice. The type of practice that helps children who have these problems. The early detection of these problems is crucal to preventing all sorts of as Mrs OneMan puts it 'Negative Outcomes' which is health care professional speak for bad stuff such as poor growth, mental imparment and all sorts of really scary stuff (trust me she told me the details and you do not want your kids to have it). Early detection can prevent or mitigate these 'Negative Outcomes' You can read about the first person who these test helped in Mass. here. To learn more about how early detection can help go here
So it appears that we charge people too much for the tests so instead of having a cushion or reducing the fee or using the extra money to expand testing and/or treatment ( both ideas are part of the enabiling act see the first link) lets instead take $3.45 million out and put it in the general revenue fund.
For shame Governor for shame. Someone (Pals at the Cross Blog, Obama fans this would be a good one for him) needs to stand up on this one and just say NO. The future of childrens health depends on it.
OneMan
Beginning July 1, 2002, provide all newborns with expanded screening tests for the presence of genetic, endocrine, or other metabolic disorders, including phenylketonuria, galactosemia, hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, biotinidase deficiency, and sickling disorders, as well as other amino acid disorders, organic acid disorders, fatty acid oxidation disorders, and other abnormalities detectable through the use of a tandem mass
spectrometer.
Moneys shall be appropriated from such Fund to the Department of Public Health solely for the purposes of
providing metabolic screening, follow-up and treatment programs.
FYI -- The department of public health is authorized to charage a fee for the tests. It would appear the only money to go into this fund is from fees for testing.
-- Ok some disclosure here, Mrs. OneMan is a Nurse Practioner who works and see paitents in an Endocronolgy practice. The type of practice that helps children who have these problems. The early detection of these problems is crucal to preventing all sorts of as Mrs OneMan puts it 'Negative Outcomes' which is health care professional speak for bad stuff such as poor growth, mental imparment and all sorts of really scary stuff (trust me she told me the details and you do not want your kids to have it). Early detection can prevent or mitigate these 'Negative Outcomes' You can read about the first person who these test helped in Mass. here. To learn more about how early detection can help go here
So it appears that we charge people too much for the tests so instead of having a cushion or reducing the fee or using the extra money to expand testing and/or treatment ( both ideas are part of the enabiling act see the first link) lets instead take $3.45 million out and put it in the general revenue fund.
For shame Governor for shame. Someone (Pals at the Cross Blog, Obama fans this would be a good one for him) needs to stand up on this one and just say NO. The future of childrens health depends on it.
OneMan
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