USA Today (2A) Wednesday, March 25, 2010 Half of states ban tobacco use in prisons By Andrew M.

Seaman

USA Today (7E) Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Health car around the globe By Andrew Seaman
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A look at how other developed countries provide and pay for health care compared with the U.S. system, based on the most recent information available:

United States The U.S. health care system operates through a combination of public and private insurers. Two of the largest government-run insurance programs are Medicaid and Medicare, which are funded by income taxes and available to low-income citizens and the elderly. Those not in government-run programs must find coverage through the private market, from their employer or go uninsured. Care is largely provided by private doctors at private facilities. Germany Germany requires people making less than about $70,000 a year to have health insurance, which is operated by more than 200 competing, non-profit insurance companies. Those making more than $70,000 a year have the option to be under the mandatory health care, or they can buy private insurance or go uninsured. The system is funded through an income tax. Care is provided by private doctors and a mix of private and public hospitals. Sweden Sweden provides universal health care coverage. The program is funded through central and local taxes and co-payments on services. The national government regulates the system, but the local governments organize the care facilities. Doctors can be government employees or private practitioners because the local governments can decide what system is best for their community. In most cases, hospitals are owned and operated by the local government. Canada Canada provides universal health care; however, many Canadians purchase insurance to supplement the government program. The program is funded through general taxation, and any supplemental insurance is paid out-of-pocket. The majority of doctors are not employed by the government. Hospitals can be either public or private, but their budgets are negotiated with the government. Italy Italy offers health care to all residents. Funding for the health care system comes from a mix of income taxes, local taxes and co-payments. Care is delivered through private doctors. Most hospitals are government-run. There are some private and for-profit hospitals. Spain Spain provides universal health care coverage; however, a small portion of the population purchases supplemental health insurance. The funding comes from taxes and out-of-pocket payments. The national government decides the direction of the system, while the local governments determine how the care is delivered. Doctors are private practitioners, and the majority of hospital beds are government-owned. Australia Australia provides health care to citizens, permanent legal residents and visitors from certain countries. The care is funded by an income tax and rebates to a supplemental insurance program. Care is provided by private doctors. Public hospitals provide free care, while private hospitals tend to cater to people with private insurance. Netherlands Everyone living or working in the Netherlands is required to purchase health insurance. Insurers are

required to offer a government-mandated standard package and provide coverage to all. The government gives subsidies to companies that take on high-risk clients with chronic illnesses and severe disabilities. Minors, the unemployed, the elderly and people who are not able to pay for insurance are covered through a government fund, which is paid for through income taxes. Care is provided through private doctors and care facilities. United Kingdom The U.K. offers health care to all people "ordinarily resident" in the country. Most services are free or available with a small co-payment. The main source of funding is general taxation. Doctors and hospitals are generally employed and operated by the government; however, there are private practitioners who may or may not be reimbursed by the government. France France provides health care for all living in the country legally and illegally. The main source of funding is payroll and income taxes; however, the government implements some cost-sharing techniques, including co-payments and extra billing. Care is provided by private doctors, even though the majority of hospitals are owned by the government. Sources: McKinsey; The Commonwealth Fund; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; Central Intelligence Agency; The Harris Poll; Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs

USA Today (1A) Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Parking fines easy cash for cities By Andrew Seaman

USA Today (4A) Tuesday, September 15, 2009 In poll, Obama scores higher on personal traits, lower on issues By Andrew Seaman and Susan Page

Susan Bennett, a retired high school English teacher from Mesquite, Nev., thinks the health care system needs to be fixed. Just consider her brother-in-law, diagnosed with cancer only to find that his insurance coverage won't pay for the $3,000-to-$4,000-a-month drug his doctor has prescribed. "On the other hand," she worries, "I'd hate to have my insurance (costs) go up." That's the dilemma for President Obama as he tries to push a health care bill through the House and Senate over the next month or two. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, nearly everyone agrees the system has problems just 2% say it doesn't but there is considerable anxiety about the impact that legislation to change it would have. MORE SCORES: Sara David, 26, of Lawrenceville, Ga., opposes Obama's proposal. "I am concerned that the quality of health care will go down," she says. Americans are almost evenly divided, 50%-47%, over whether they would urge their representative in Congress to vote for or against a bill, and the views of those against it are more firmly held than those who are for it. Obama's address to Congress last week "wasn't the huge game-changer some had hoped or thought," says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin who studies public opinion. If a bill passes this year, 40% predict it will improve health care coverage, but 37% say it will make things worse. When it comes to the overall costs and quality of health care, Americans are inclined to say the legislation will cause more harm than good. Support for a bill plummets to 26% if expanding coverage means higher taxes for the middle class, and to 20% if middle-class Americans will have to pay more for health care than they do now. Making 'hard decisions' Whatever the strains on health care, the findings also reflect Obama's considerable popularity. By 3-1, those surveyed say he is "willing to make hard decisions." By 2-1, he is seen as a strong and decisive leader. Two-thirds say that he can get things done and that he understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives. A majority rate him as someone who can manage the government effectively and shares their values. By 53%-45%, those polled say Obama can fix the major problems facing the country. "He is trying, and I think that's what we need," says Eva Nauman, 58, a warehouse worker in Lebanon, Pa., who was among those surveyed. "Now, whether he's going to succeed or not, I don't know, but at least he's trying to help the little guy." The survey of 1,030 adults has a margin of error of +/ 4 percentage points. The health care debate reflects the nation's sharp partisan divide: 83% of Democrats support passing a health care bill; 84% of Republicans oppose it. The president's popularity hasn't prevented a slide in his standing on individual issues. For the first time, a majority disapprove of the way he's handling the economy. His approval rating on the situation in

Afghanistan has fallen seven percentage points, to 49%, since July. Nearly six in 10 disapprove of his handling of the federal budget deficit. In response to another question, 60% say Obama's proposals to address the country's biggest problems call for too much government spending, and 51% say he's called for too much expansion of government power. In response to an open-ended question, the top reason cited by those who oppose a health care bill was concern about big government. The cost of a bill was also high on the list. "I think everyone should be entitled to insurance, but I am so concerned about this deficit," says Nina Giacobbe, 51, a stay-at-home mom in the Chicago suburb of Homer Glen. "We are trillions of dollars in debt now, and I just can't see it. Where is it coming from?" Among those who support a health care bill, more than a third say the main reason is the need to cover the uninsured. No Clinton bounce When President Clinton delivered an address to Congress on health care in 1993, his approval rating jumped 10 points in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, though that gain largely dissipated within three weeks. Obama saw no change in his 54% approval rating. "This was not the home run predicted from the Clinton experience," says Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard. The public's continued concerns "will make it harder to sway members of Congress on the fence about voting for the current bill." Other issues down the line also could be affected, he says. "If he takes a bad beating on this, it's very hard for him to get momentum on issues that don't have the same levels of support for major change," such as energy and immigration. On the other hand, "if he came out of health care and did something really significant that people felt good about, it would give momentum for some of the other issues that will be controversial." Even a victory may have to be followed by a "pause" in White House ambitions, says William Galston, a domestic policy aide in the Clinton White House, given "the amount of political capital expended and the amount of administration energy expended." That suits Adam Davis, 32, a software engineer from Turnersville, N.J., who was called in the survey. "No doubt things need to change," he says, "but for me personally it's too much, too fast."

USA Today(3A) Thursday, May 29, 2008 Mentally incompetent defendants on rise By Andrew Seaman and Kevin Johnson

WASHINGTON The number of accused felons declared mentally incompetent to stand trial is rising in 10 of the nation's 12 largest states, delaying local prosecutions and swamping state mental health and prison systems, a USA TODAY review finds. These defendants cost hundreds of millions of dollars to treat and house as local governments tighten their budgets because of a slowing economy. Legal analysts attribute the increase to a lack of mental health care, judges' increased openness to such claims and legal strategies by defendants to try to avoid harsh punishment. "It's a huge problem," says Joshua Marquis, a vice president of the National District Attorneys Association. "It's equally bad for the accused and the victims" because cases linger. Criminal defendants who do not understand the legal proceedings against them are generally declared by judges to be incompetent for trial. Most are referred to mental health facilities and treated. The length of treatment varies from an average of three weeks in Virginia to more than nine months in Tennessee before they are deemed fit for trial or mental health experts determine they cannot be successfully treated, the USA TODAY review found. There is wide variation in how states track thousands of incompetency rulings, and some do not track them at all. Of the 12 most populous states, Texas reported a decline last year and New Jersey did not provide data. Among states reporting increases: Florida: State policy analysts reported in March that incompetent defendants there doubled from 1,061 to 2,123 in the past five years. Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis says that reflects a lack of access to treatment even before the accused enter the criminal justice system. Florida officials spend about $250 million yearly on treatment aimed at restoring mental fitness. The state projects the cost will double in the next seven years. Ohio: About 32% of 1,050 state mental hospital patients have been charged with crimes but declared unfit for trial. Most are accused felons, and that number has risen recently, says Howard Sokolov, Ohio's medical director for forensic services. California: Mentally incompetent defendants treated by state mental health providers increased in four of the past five years. Accused and convicted offenders now occupy 4,500 of the state's 5,000 mental hospital beds, up from 500 more than a decade ago, says the state Department of Mental Health. Ken Murray, chairman of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' mental health committee, says competency claims are gaining acceptance among judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers in part because of growing efforts to identify the wrongfully convicted. "Some of these people who made false confessions" and were convicted based on those statements "had competence problems to start with," says Murray, a federal public defender in Phoenix. Sokolov says incompetency caseloads for Ohio's mental health assessors have risen 22% in the past five years. "There is an increasing amount of people who are finding it difficult to obtain (mental health) services," he says, "and they tend to get in trouble with the law." Contributing: Katharine Lackey

USA Today (WEB) - Saturday, June 7, 2008 Clinton ends 08 campaign, endorses Obama By Andrew Seaman and Susan Page
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-07-clinton-obama_N.htm

Hillary Rodham Clinton, her dreams of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party dashed, formally suspended her campaign Saturday and vowed to do all she could to elect rival Barack Obama. "The way to continue our fight now to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States," she declared to a wave of cheers and a handful of boos. "Today, as I suspend my campaign. .. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him, and I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me." Clinton's campaign website has been updated to extend support to Obama. In a half-hour speech, Clinton did what she failed to do in remarks at a rally in New York Tuesday after the final two primaries. This time, she lavished praise on the Illinois senator and urged her followers to join his cause. The New York senator stood on a platform at the National Building Museum, one of the capital's grandest indoor spaces, as thousands of supporters and onlookers filled the floor and lined the balconies. A huge Americans flag was draped behind her. The crowd greeted Clinton's arrival on stage joined by her husband, daughter and mother with an extended and exuberant welcome. But the afternoon also had a sense of the valedictory. In interviews, many paid tribute to her candidacy. Some expressed bitterness toward her opponent. "I'm just here to say 'thank you' to her," said Tom Scarlett, the editor of an environmental newsletter who volunteered for her campaign. Now, he said, "We are all behind Sen. Obama." Miata Sherman, 50, a day-care provider from suburban Rockville, Md., complained that Clinton wasn't "treated very well by the Democratic leadership" during the campaign. "They did not step up to the plate." Elinor Walker, 48, a lawyer, called the decision a week earlier by the Democrats' Rules and Bylaws Committee to divide the disputed Michigan and Florida delegations between Clinton and Obama "a pretty rotten deal." She said she probably won't vote unless Clinton ends up on the ticket. Chandra Hardy, an economist from Washington who also attended the speech, said she won't vote for Obama and probably won't vote at all in November. "I don't think he'll win without her," she predicted. Clinton addressed that sentiment in her remarks, saying no one should concentrate on "if-only" and "whatif." "Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward," she told them. "Life is too short, time is too precious and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be." Clinton was doing something unfamiliar to the Clinton family. Neither she nor former president Bill Clinton had conceded a nomination battle or general election since he lost a re-election bid for governor of Arkansas in 1980. He came back two years later to regain the post. Still ahead for Hillary Clinton: Retiring an estimated $30 million campaign debt and plotting her political future. She has distanced herself from a petition drive and letter-writing campaign by supporters demanding that Obama choose her as his running mate, though on Tuesday she had spurred feverish speculation by telling New York lawmakers she was "open" to the prospect.

A few hours before Clinton spoke, the Republican National Committee launched a "Clinton vs. Obama" website that chronicled Clinton's past statements questioning Obama's readiness for the presidency as GOP chairman tried to counter the talk of Democratic unity. "Even as Senator Clinton concedes her candidacy and endorses Barack Obama today, it's clear the Democratic Party is struggling desperately to unify," Duncan said. "Senator Clinton was correct to question Obama's navet and inexperience, and those concerns remain for all voters nationwide." Late Thursday, Clinton and Obama held what was apparently their first extended private conversation since the campaign began, though they have repeatedly encountered one another on debate stages and the Senate floor. Taking cloak-and-dagger steps to avoid coverage by reporters, they met at the home of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the posh Spring Valley neighborhood of Washington. Since he swept the opening Iowa caucuses in January, they had battled to a near draw through more than 50 contests. It ended Tuesday with the South Dakota and Montana contests, which sent him over the 2,118 mark in delegates the number needed to be nominated at the party's national convention in Denver in August. He will be the first African-American nominated by a major party for the presidency. She would have been the first woman. Obama has issued a response to Clinton and he's also put a " Thank you, Senator Clinton" page at his website, complete with opportunity to donate money to Clinton, who has a $30 million campaign debt. On Saturday, Clinton spoke at length about the groundbreaking nature of her candidacy, saying that with the 18 million votes she received through the primary season represented "about 18 million cracks" in the glass ceiling for the presidency, "and the light is shining through like never before."