Pubdate: Tue, 22 May 2007
Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
Copyright: 2007 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas
Contact:  http://www.star-telegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/162
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

HOUSE VOTES FOR STATE'S FIRST NEEDLE-EXCHANGE PROGRAM, BUT ONLY IN BEXAR COUNTY

By R.A. DYER Star-Telegram Staff Writer The Texas House voted to 
allow the state to create the first ever needle-exchange program for 
intravenous drug users -- but only as a pilot project around San 
Antonio. The provision was added to a broad Medicaid bill, Senate 
Bill 10, which was sponsored in the House by Rep. Dianne White 
Delisi, R-Temple.

Rep. Ruth McClendon, D-San Antonio, at first tried to add an 
amendment to the bill that would create a statewide needle-exchange 
program. But she limited her amendment to Bexar County, where San 
Antonio is, when it appeared that she did not have support in the 
House for the broader program.

McClendon said Texas is the only state without a needle-exchange 
program. "The purpose of the clean-needle program is to keep them 
from spreading the disease," she said, referring to hepatitis C and 
HIV, which are commonly spread by intravenous drug use.

Delisi did not dispute the public health benefits but said that 
constituent concerns about appearing to support illegal drug use 
outweighed those benefits.

"Our constituents [are concerned] about [whether] promoting the free 
exchange of needles for the illegal use of intravenous drugs is 
something the state should be doing," she said.

Under the program, IV drug users could anonymously exchange their 
used syringes for clean ones. The details of the program remain to be 
worked out. The amendment was adopted in the House 71-60.

Senate Bill 10 would reward adults on Medicaid for quitting smoking, 
losing weight and taking other steps toward healthier lifestyles. It 
also would allow the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to 
develop healthcare packages tailored to recipients' needs and to pay 
private insurers to provide coverage.

Many of the elements in the legislation would require federal 
waivers. But the federal government is encouraging states to develop 
cost-saving ways to deliver Medicaid coverage as Congress tries to 
lower the federal deficit.

Under the legislation:

Managed-care programs would be encouraged to enroll Medicaid 
recipients with an emphasis on preventive health services. The state 
would probably bear the cost, but backers of the legislation say it 
would be cheaper than providing such services directly.

State health officials would develop a pilot program in one part of 
the state to encourage Medicaid recipients to join smoking-cessation, 
weight-loss and other programs to reduce the risk of long-term health issues.

Efforts to stop fraud and abuse would expand, including verifying 
that applicants and recipients of Medicaid are U.S. citizens.

Hospital emergency rooms could charge Medicaid recipients a 
co-payment if they seek services that could be provided in a clinic 
or a doctor's office.

Medicaid is a federal program administered by the states that pays 
for indigent healthcare. The state and federal governments share the costs.

A decade ago, 14 percent of the state budget was spent on Medicaid. 
Today, it's 25 percent, and in 2017, it's projected to be 40 percent.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman