Managed Care - August 2008 - (Page 1) EDITOR’S MEMO Care Editor M A N A G E D Keep Health Plan Foundations On Their Original Mission By John Marcille ou can’t blame them, really. You can’t fault state legislators for looking for fiscal relief from the foundations created when not-for-profit health plans become for-profit entities. The organizations are expected to dispense around $450 million a year to widely diverse causes that fall under a broad — very broad — description of a public health effort. Hey, said then Gov. George Pataki in a New York minute, let’s use that money to increase the salaries of state health care workers. And he did, taking $1 billion generated when Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield became a for-profit company. Sure there were protests and even a lawsuit. Yet, according to our cover story on page 16 by contributing editor Maureen Glabman, when the dust cleared, Pataki got his and the foundation was left with a paltry $50 million. Many readers will remember how it all went down. Other states are using different means to dip into foundations because it’s clear that help from the federal government will not be coming. The administration projects that the federal deficit for 2009 will be a record-breaking $482 billion. Meanwhile, problems in the mortgage industry persist while the price of crude oil fluctuates. What’s a responsible lawmaker to do? Just say no? The Pataki raid represents two main problems with foundations: They sometimes lack direction and too often find themselves prey to government overseers more than willing to give them that direction. Meanwhile, lost in the headlines is the original purpose. The foundations were meant to provide funding and initiate programs in their communities to compensate for years of foregone state taxes that allowed the not-for-profit plans to grow. The foundations have mostly stuck to their mission, but you have to wonder, for how much longer? MC JOHN MARCILLE Managing Editor FRANK DIAMOND Associate Editor Y TONY BERBERABE Consulting Editor MICHAEL DALZELL Senior Contributing Editor MARGARETANN CROSS Contributing Editors LOLA BUTCHER JOHN CARROLL MAUREEN GLABMAN MARTIN SIPKOFF Design Director PHILIP DENLINGER Group Publisher TIMOTHY P. SEARCH, RPH Director of New Product Development TIMOTHY J. STEZZI Eastern Sales Manager SCOTT MACDONALD Senior Account Manager KENNETH D. WATKINS, III Director of Production Services WANETA PEART Circulation Manager CONTACT E-MAIL ADDRESSES: Editors: editors_mail@managedcaremag.com Circulation: managedcare@icnfull.com Advertising: advertising_info@managedcaremag.com Reprints: reprints_request@managedcaremag.com JACQUELYN OTT Clinical judgment must guide each clinician in weighing the benefits of treatment against the risk of toxicity. Dosages, indications, and methods of use for products referred to in this publication may reflect the professional literature or other clinical sources, or may reflect the clinical experience of the authors, and might not be the same as what is on the approved package insert. Please consult the complete prescribing information for any products mentioned in this publication. MediMedia USA Inc. assumes no liability for the information published herein. MANAGED CARE (ISSN 1062-3388) is published monthly by MediMedia USA, Inc. at 780 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. This is Volume 17, Issue 8. Phone: (267) 685-2788; fax (267) 685-2966. Send letters to the editor to Frank Diamond, MANAGED CARE, 780 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Copyright 2008 by MediMedia USA, Inc. All rights reserved under the United States, International, and Pan-American copyright conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, electronic, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of MediMedia USA Inc. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Subscriptions for individuals or institutions in the U.S.A. are $100 per year, $10 per single copy; elsewhere, $120 per year, $22 per single copy. Inquiries about paid subscriptions: Lisa Gardineer, telephone (267) 685-2789; e-mail: lgardineer@medimedia.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to MANAGED CARE, PO Box 2019, Langhorne, PA 19047. Periodicals postage paid at Morrisville, PA, and at additional mailing offices. Major articles are reviewed by appropriate members of the editorial advisory board and/or other qualified experts. Opinions are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the institutions that employ the authors, nor of the publisher, editor, or editorial advisory board of MANAGED CARE. AUGUST 2008 / MANAGED CARE 1
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