A road map for universal coverage: finding a pass through the financial mountains

Government already pays for more than half of U.S. health care costs, and nearly all universal health insurance proposals assume continued government involvement through tax subsidies and other means. The question of what specific taxes could be used to finance universal coverage is, however, seldom carefully examined, in part due to efforts by health care reform proponents to downplay tax issues. In this article we undertake such an examination. We argue that the challenges of relying on taxes for universal coverage are even greater than is generally appreciated, but that they can nevertheless be met. A proposal to fund a universal health insurance voucher system with a value-added tax illustrates issues that would arise for tax-financed plans in general and provides a broad framework for a bipartisan approach to universal coverage. We discuss significant problems that such an approach would face and suggest solutions. We outline a long-term political and legislative strategy for enacting universal coverage that draws upon precedents set by comparable legislative initiatives, including tax reform and Medicare. The results are an improved understanding of the relationship between systemic health care finance reform and taxation and a politically realistic plan for universal coverage that employs undisguised taxes.     

Photo‐ and Thermal‐Degradation Studies of Select Eccrine Fingerprint Constituents

Abstract: Photo‐ and thermal‐degradation studies on eccrine fingerprint components are presented herein. Dilute distinct solutions of urea, lactic acid, and seven amino acids were deposited on steel coupons and Teflon^® disks, exposed to artificial sunlight or heat, extracted, and analyzed. This aim of this study was to determine whether the investigated eccrine components, previously determined to be Raman active for a parallel study, experienced photo‐ or thermally induced degradation, and if so, to determine the rate and identify any detectable products. Neither the amino acids nor urea exhibited photo‐degradation; however, when heated for a period of three minutes, the onset of thermal‐degradation was initiated at 100°C for the amino acids and 100°C for urea. Lactic acid, the major polymerization initiator of superglue fuming, showed photochemical and thermal‐degradation. These results could be used for future development of new latent fingerprint visualization methods, especially when lactic acid is degraded.     

Does Enhanced Veto Authority Centralize Government?

Previous theoretical and empirical research findsenhanced veto authority has little systematic effecton level of spending. This paper takes a new tact,examining the effect of veto power on thecentralization of governmental services. It proposesand tests a model of federalism in which differenttypes of veto authority lead to differing degrees ofcentralization when the executive and legislature havedisparate preferences over the level of governmentthat should provide services. Empirical resultsindicate governors in the United States use enhancedveto authority to centralize state and localgovernment spending.     

Improving data utilization: the case-wise alternative

Both research and practical experience suggest that alternative forms of data analysis and presentation may affect their use in the policy arena. The variable-wise alternative produces estimates of population parameters through conventional statistical techniques. The case-wise alternative defines and identifies qualitatively distinct types of cases through techniques of numerical taxonomy. In the experiment reported here, variable-wise and case-wise presentations of Census data on poverty were used to compare the effects of the alternatives on policy makers in a priority-setting task. The results show that the case-wise alternative can improve utilization, assimilation, recall, and recognition of the data. Under the circumstances examined here, the case-wise alternative is a practical means of increasing the return on the public's investment in data resources to improve policy decisions.     

Neutral heroin impurities from tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline alkaloids

Laudanosine, reticuline, codamine, and laudanine are members of the tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline family of natural products. These alkaloids are present in the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, and are subsequently found as impurities in clandestinely processed morphine. Morphine is then synthesized to heroin using hot acetic anhydride. During the course of this study, it was determined that these four tetrahydrobenzylisoquinolines undergo degradation to a series of 18 neutral impurities when subjected to hot acetic anhydride. Based on the degradation pathway, these new impurities were categorized into two sets of impurities called the C1-acetates compounds and the stilbene compounds. Synthesis, isolation, and structural elucidation information is provided for the tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, and the new neutral impurities have been studied. Several hundred authentic heroin samples were analyzed using an established heroin signature program method. This methodology features the detection of trace neutral impurities present in heroin samples. It was determined that all 18 new impurities were detected in various quantities in four different types of heroin samples. Analytical results featuring these new impurities are reported for South American-, Southwest Asian-, Mexican-, and Southeast Asian-type heroin samples. These new impurities, coupled with other established forensic markers, enhance the ability to classify illicit heroin samples.