- Full citation and abstract?
- http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/economic/asthma_2014.pdf
- DiNapoli, Thomas P. The Prevalence and Cost of Asthma in New York State. April 2014. Accessed September 20, 2015. http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/economic/asthma_2014.pdf.
- In this report published by the NYS Comptrollers Office, the financial burden of asthma on the State of New York is evaluated. The report focuses specifically on the cost of asthma within the Medicaid system, which provides health insurance at little or no charge to the poor, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Medicaid enrolls approximately one in four New Yorkers and has a $55 billion budget. The total costs of asthma within the Medicaid program cost more than $500 million in 2012-2013, with more than half that going towards prescription drug costs. Including the Medicaid costs, the NYS DOH has calculated that the annual cost of asthma is $1.3 billion, including direct medical costs and lost productivity. An estimated 1.4 million New Yorkers are afflicted with asthma. Schenectady, Rensselaer, Clinton, and Fulton counties had some of the highest asthma rates for 2012-2013, making it into the top five. While asthma diagnosis rates have increased in recent years, a decrease in asthma related deaths, hospitalizations, and prevalence in children has shown that progress can be made against the disease.
- Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
- The New York State Comptroller’s Office is responsible for auditing government operations within the State. Their expertise lies in compiling economic data and maintaining records of transactions between different governmental organizations.
- The Comptroller’s Office made a report on “Environmental Funding” in December of 2014, which outlined the financial status of NYS’s environmental regulatory agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation. In the report, the state comptroller’s office stated that between 2004 and 2014, the full time staff of the DEC declined by 300 personnel, while spending rose 27.4% (only 1.2% when accounting for inflation). The Comptroller’s Office expects DEC funding to decrease until at least the end of 2017, as a federal support is expected to decline (federal support peaked in around 2008). This decrease in funding could affect the types of environmental health projects the DEC can support.
- What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?
- Approximately $1.3 in asthma related costs annually (lost productivity and direct medical costs).
- Schenectady County had 131.3 asthma diagnoses out of 1000 Medicaid recipients (highest in state).
- Rensselaer County had 123.2 asthma diagnoses out of 1000 Medicaid recipients (fifth highest in state).
- Between 2002 and 2011, asthma related deaths decreased by 22.7% (330 to 255).
- Between 2002 and 2011, asthma hospitalization costs increased by 61% (was this inflation driven? Or possibly due to increases in the per capita hospitalization rate? Or is it because more people were being hospitalized?)
- From the document, the State Comptroller’s Office seems to recognize the legitimacy of the problem that is Asthma. Decreases in Asthma deaths and hospitalization rates have shown that the state is getting better at recognizing/treating asthma. However, more people are being diagnosed everyday and with no known cure, costs will only continue to accumulate.
- Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported
- Look above.
- What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
- “There is no known cure for asthma. However, important tools and strategies can help the approximately 1.7 million New York children and adults with asthma manage their symptoms and minimize serious health risks.”
- “The number of New York Medicaid recipients with an asthma diagnosis rose by more than 30 percent over the five years ending in State Fiscal Year 2012-13. Much of this increase – but not all – reflects a sharp increase in the State’s Medicaid population over the period.”
- “Academics and health professionals have not reached consensus on the reasons for current trends in asthma prevalence, and research continues. The recent declines in overall asthma deaths, hospitalizations and asthma prevalence among children in the Medicaid program in New York demonstrate that progress against the disease is possible.”
- What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?
- The Comptroller’s Office used their funding/expense records that they keep track of for every NYS government agency. In particular, they used primarily NYS Department of Health graphs and figures, but also used some CDC data as well.
- How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
- Almost the entire document focuses on how asthma has affected New Yorkers who have a health insurance plan under Medicaid. Given that Medicaid caters primarily to the needy, the entire article seems to focus on an under represented group. However, the study did lack data for those afflicted by asthma who do not have Medicaid.
- Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
- I have been unable to find any other articles, journals, or reports which reference or discuss this document.
- Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
- There are only three agencies that this report draws data from. One of them came from the Mayo clinic, another the CDC, and all of the rest (<10) from the NYS DOH. What this tells me is that the report was made to discuss government spending of government money within governmental organizations. The document was not meant to dive too deeply into the primary causes of asthma or private sector costs associated with it.
- What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
- This was accidentally erased so I'm trying to do this from memory. I was trying to follow up on where their "lost productivity" values were coming from and I was unable to find any actual report where they broke down that value. However, in my search I did find a neat study that looked at how asthma costs are generated. I forwarded it to Jeremy. It's unfortunate I lost my answer to this question, I put a lot of time into it!
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