In honor of the 40th anniversary of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing’s nurse-midwife degree program, Melissa Avery, Ph.D., C.N.M., R.N., director of the midwifery specialty, reflected on how nurse-midwifery has changed.
Midwives have been attending births for thousands of years.
“But in the United States in the early 1900s, as the field of medicine became more formalized and specialized, birth started moving to hospitals,” said Avery. Midwives began to play a lesser roll.
Yesterday President Barack Obama delivered his 2013 State of the Union address to millions of Americans. One of First Lady Michelle Obama’s special guests was former University of Minnesota student Abby Schanfield. Schanfield is a member of TakeAction Minnesota’s health care team, a grassroots organization that advocates for change that matters to Minnesotans including economic and health care reform.
Schanfield suffers from a rare congenital disease called Toxoplasmosis. Thankfully she was covered under her parent’s health insurance and was able to receive the care she needed. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Schanfield will continue to be covered under her parent’s plan until she’s 26.
Last week, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton announced a new health reform initiative that, if successful, could provide better health care for 100,000 Minnesotans while lowering costs for taxpayers.
According to the state, the new system will “test a new payment model that prioritizes quality, preventive care and rewards providers for achieving mutually-agreed upon health goals,” and could save the state’s Medicaid program nearly $90 million over the next three years.
One of the six major health care providers to contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) under the new payment model is the Federally Qualified Health Center Urban Health Network (FUHN) which includes the University of Minnesota’s Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC).
According to Executive Director Deanna Mills, CUHCC has planned for this new system for more than a year in efforts to make the new pilot program successful. “We are shifting our care delivery model by building our capacity to provide care coordination that not only increases quality of care but also enhances patients’ satisfaction with our care,” said Mills.
On 6/28/2012, the United States Supreme Court issued their decision on the Affordable Care Act.
Here is a synopsis of how the Supreme Court ruled:
1. The entire ACA was upheld.
2. The Individual Mandate was ruled Constitutional, but individuals who refuse to comply would pay a tax.
3. The Medicaid provision (expansion) was limited but not invalidated.
4. Because the whole ACA was deemed constitutional, the provision requiring insurers to cover young adults until they are 26 survives as well.
Throughout the days and weeks that follow, University of Minnesota health policy experts will discuss the ruling and its impact with regional media.
To catch up on all the latest regional media coverage featuring the University of Minnesota health policy experts you trust visit our Storify page.
