Prescription Drug Trends – A Chartbook, an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Sonderegger Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about trends in prescription drug coverage, spending, prices, use, and industry structure. Although overall coverage for prescription drugs has increased over the last decade, about a quarter of the nonelderly and a third of Medicare beneficiaries have no drug coverage. Spending for prescriptions is one of the fastest growing components of health care, with increases affected more by increased utilization and changes in the types of drugs used (from older drugs to newer, more expensive drugs) than by price increases for existing drugs.

Health News Index May/June, 2000

The May/June 2000 edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health, Health News Index includes questions about major health stories covered in the news, including questions about the Congressional Democrats’ proposal to have the Medicare program cover prescription drug costs for the elderly. The survey is based on a national random sample of 580 Americans and was conducted May 26-June 4, 2000. The survey measures public knowledge of health stories covered by news media during the previous month. The Health News Index is designed to help the news media and people in the health field gain a better understanding of which health stories in the news Americans are following and what they understand about those health issues. Every two months, Kaiser/Harvard issues a new index report.

• HNI May-June 2000
• Topline/Survey

To shed light on Americans’ views about the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide and the role of the U.S. in addressing the global epidemic, the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a national survey of Americans about their attitudes towards HIV/AIDS globally and in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular. This survey examines Americans’ understanding of the magnitude of the epidemic, perceptions about access to treatment and care, and support for government and private sector involvement in prevention and treatment in developing nations. It is being released in preparation for the 13th International AIDS Conference to be held in Durban, South Africa.

• Toplines/Survey

A new chartbook by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that on most, though not all indicators, California’s health care system fares poorly when compared to the U.S. as a whole. The report, Health Care Trends and Indicators in California and the United States, shows that many more Californians have no health insurance than in the rest of the U.S., but when they do have insurance it tends to be more comprehensive and cost less than elsewhere.

The report, which compares key trends and indicators in California’s health care system with those in the rest of the country, is authored by researchers at the Foundation and the Center for Health and Public Policy Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

• News Release: California’s Health Care System Looks Significantly Different From Rest of Nation’s

• Table
• Chartbook

Online Resources

KFF Resources

Daily Reproductive Health Reports on RU-486 and MifepristoneOffers a retrospective look at the debate, using the archives of this daily report.Abortion, Issue Update May 1999 Highlights the clinical and political issues regarding abortion.From the Patient’s Perspective: the Quality of Abortion Care May 1999 – Women’s views and perceptions of the quality of care they have received.Abortion in the U.S., Fact SheetSeptember 1998 – Offers some useful background statistics on abortion in the United States.

Will 1999 Be The Year For Mifepristone (RU-486) And, An Update on Women’s Other Options for Very Early Abortion, Q & ASeptember 16, 1998 – Examines some of the questions regarding Mifepristone.

National Survey of Women’s Health Care Providers on Medical AbortionSeptember 16, 1998 – Examined provider views of Medical abortion techniques, such as Mifepristone.Content Analysis: Sexual Health Coverage in Women’s, Men’s and Teen MagazinesApril 1997 – An assessment of magazine content, specifically looking at how these specialty magazines dealt with such subjects as abortion.

General Background American Medical Association – Publications list on Mifepristone.

FDA Approvable Letter for MifepristoneFebruary 18, 2000 – According to the FDA: “An approvable letter does not give a company permission to begin marketing the drug.” The FDA issued a prior approvable letter for mifepristone to the “Population Council in September 1996, indicating that the agency believed the drug to be safe and effective, but that unresolved issues remained, including questions about manufacturing.”

FDA Archives on Mifepristone – Offers information from FDA on-line files regarding this controversial drug.

FDA Consumer Magazine – Mifepristone – This update from May/June 2000 offers some information on the approval process.

Medline search on Mifepristone – articles from various journals .

Merck Manual Home Edition – Information Family Planning Methods, including background on medical abortion methods.

Mifepristone – Prescription Drug Reference on WebMD offers general information on the drug.

New England Journal of Medicine – Articles on Mifepristone.

The Recent Debate

Family Research Council Press Release – A pro-life perspective on FDA’s decision.

National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League Press Release – A pro-choice perspective.

Organizations Involved in the Debate

Alan Guttmacher Institute – reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Reproductive Rights Project – Site features information on reproductive rights in Congress and other related legal issues such as privacy and equality.

American Life League – a pro-life organization.

Center for Reproductive Law and Policy (CRLP) – independent, non-profit legal organization “dedicated to promoting women’s health and rights.”

Life Issues Institute – a pro-life organization that seeks to assure “equal protection under the law for all living humans.”

National Right to Life Committee – a public policy group that is dedicated to “the protection of all human life.”

National Abortion Federation (NAF) – A professional association of abortion providers in the United States, providing information on options for pregnant women, information on abortion issues and violence at clinics, as well as fact sheets for providers.

Pacific Institute for Women’s Health – a group dedicated to improving women’s health through research, advocacy, community involvement, consultation, and training.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America – a national family planning organization that supports the use of Mifepristone.

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. – Promotes comprehensive education about sexuality, and advocates the right of individuals to “make responsible sexual choices.”

Women’s Reproductive Health Resources American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) – Site provides fact sheets on all aspects of women’s reproductive health, including abortion.

Association of Reproductive Health Professionals – Organization dedicated to educating health care professionals and the public on family planning, contraception and other reproductive health issues.

FDA’s Office of Women’s Health

OBGYN.net – A site for medical professionals and women, which offers various obstetrical and gynecological information resources.

Society for Women’s Health Research – Offers a reading list on women’s health issues, including publications on abortion.

For almost 20 years, women’s health advocates have been pushing for U.S. approval of mifepristone (also known as “RU-486”), a non-surgical abortion method that European women have used for a decade. Now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems poised to give the final go-ahead, the big question is: So what happens next? Will mifepristone make abortion more “private,” allowing women and doctors to avoid the threats and protests that have plagued many clinics? Will it motivate more health care providers to offer abortion services, thus making the procedure more accessible? And will women choose it when given the option?

A panel of experts, including Sandra Arnold, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at the Population Council; Eric Schaff, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine; Carole Joffe, PhD, University of California at Davis, Department of Sociology; and Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH, Columbia University School of Public Health, and Editor, Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association discussed at an Emerging Issues in Reproductive Health Briefing how women and health care providers will respond to mifepristone, the realities of providing medical abortions, and the likely impact that mifepristone will have on abortion practice and politics.

Recently released national survey data of ob/gyns and family practice physicians was discussed.

Briefing Resources:

• Agenda
• Resource List
• Speaker Biographies
• Mifepristone: An Early Abortion Option

• Online Resources
• Chart Pack

• Toplines/Survey: National Survey of Views on Women’s Health Care Providers on Abortion: An Update on Mifepristone
• News Release: One In Three Gynecologists Who Do Not Now Perform Abortions Would Offer Mifepristone

Issues in the 2000 Election: Education

The Washington Post/Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University national survey on “Issues in the 2000 Election: Education” is the first in a series of surveys examining policy issues in the 2000 national elections. This survey, conducted May 11-22, 2000, of a nationally representative sample of registered voters also included an oversample of “education-oriented” registered voters. This survey and all surveys in this series, are designed to provide a more in-depth look at the attitudes of issue-oriented voters and compare them to registered voters in general. Results from this survey were released by The Washington Post in June 2000.

• Toplines/Survey

If the FDA Approves Mifepristone . . . What Happens Next?

Will Doctors Provide It? Do Women Want It?And, What Effect Will It Have on Abortion Politics?

class=normal>Tuesday, June 13, 20009:30am – 11:30amBroadway Millennium Hotel, Rooms 304/30544^th and Broadway, New York City

9:30 am Registration9:50 am Welcome/Introductions10:00 am News from the Frontlines: The Latest on Mifepristone

What’s Happening with the Food and Drug Administration?Sandra Arnold, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at the Population Council, will report on where FDA approval of mifepristone stands today.

. . . And, Will Doctors Provide Mifepristone Once It Is Approved? Tina Hoff, Director of Public Health Information and Communications, Kaiser Family Foundation, will present new data from an ongoing national survey of gynecologists and family practice doctors about their attitudes toward and likelihood of prescribing the drug.

10:45 am What Mifepristone Will Mean for Providers, Patients, and Abortion Politics

Ms. Hoff will moderate a discussion with leading experts on medical abortion about what happens after FDA approval:

• Eric Schaff, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine

, will talk about how and why he – as a family practice specialist – got involved in medical abortion research and what his work says about the ways women and health care providers will respond to mifepristone;

, will discuss her research – including extensive interviews with physicians – about the day-to-day realities of providing medical abortions; and

and Editor, Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, will reveal findings from the journal’s just-released special issue on medical abortion – including the likely impact on abortion practice and politics.

11:30 a.m. Questions and Answers

SUMMARY OF CALIFORNIA VERSUS THE U

KEY HEALTH CARE FACTS IN CALIFORNIA AND THE U.S.

California

U.S.

Percentage uninsured (non-elderly) (1998)

24.4%

18.3%

Percentage of children uninsured (1998)

20.8%

15.5%

Percentage of non-elderly enrolled in Medicaid:

1998

11.1%

8.4%

1994

14.3%

10.0%

Percentage of employers that offer health insurance (1999)

48%

61%

Percentage of workers with access to coverage for “non-traditional” partners (1999)

31%

18%

Average monthly HMO premium for family coverage (1999)

$405

$445

Percentage of premium paid by covered workers (1999):

Single coverage

11%

16%

Family coverage

24%

32%

Percentage of workers enrolled in HMOs (1999)

53%

28%

Percentage of health care dollars spent on (1993):

Hospitals

37%

41%

Nursing home care

4%

8%

Physician services

31%

24%

Physicians mean net income (1997)

$172,400

$199,600

Average spent per Medicaid beneficiary (1997)

$2,418

$3,582

Health of Californians (1998):

Overall percentage saying they re in fair to poor health

15%

13%

Percentage of Hispanics saying they re in fair to poor health

23.8%

14.8%

Percentage of the population living in poverty (1998)

15.4%

12.7%

Resource List

Resource List

If the FDA Approves Mifepristone . . . What Happens Next?

Will Doctors Provide It? Do Women Want It?

And, What Effect Will It Have on Abortion Politics?

Tuesday, June 13, 2000

BRIEFING PARTICIPANTSOTHER RESOURCESResearch and Medical PracticeLegal and Political IssuesEmerging Issues in Reproductive Health, Program Contacts

Briefing Participants

Sandra P. Arnold

Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH

Tina Hoff

Carole Joffe, PhD

Eric A. Schaff, MD

Other Resources

Research and Medical Practice:

Mitchell D. Creinin, MD

David Grimes, MD

Richard Hausknecht, MD

Legal and Political Issues

Emerging Issues in Reproductive Health, Program Contacts: