Rapid Health Policy Response Project 
The Rapid Health Policy Response Project of the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University presents data and other background information on breaking public health stories. The goal is to educate the public, policymakers, legislators, health care providers, the media and others in order to promote informed decisionmaking. Karyn Feiden, an independent consultant who writes about public health and health care, provides editorial support for this project. Financial support comes from the Public Health and Policy Group of Pfizer, Inc.
Legislation introduced by two members of the District of Columbia Council on January 9, 2007 would require all girls to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer, by the time they enter the sixth grade, unless a parent or guardian specifically "opts out" of the mandate. A similar bill was introduced last week in Virginia, and Maryland and West Virginia are poised to consider legislation. To place the proposals in a broader context, this paper reviews some of the scientific, legal, ethical and financial issues surrounding the HPV vaccine and compulsory vaccinations. The paper is being issued through the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, which is affiliated with the School of Public Health and Health Services.
President Bush has proposed in his fiscal year 2008 budget to cut more than 300,000 low-income people, primarily working families with children, from the Food Stamp Program to achieve a savings of more than $600 million over the next five years. As well, his proposed budget would eliminate funding for the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which last year provided a monthly package of nutritious foods tosome low-income 423,000 seniors and 40,000 women, infants and children, at a cost of $107 million.
The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to collect fees from brand-name drug manufacturers that are dedicated primarily to reviewing new drug applications for human use. The law, first enacted in 1992 and twice reauthorized, will expire Sept. 30, 2007, unless Congress acts. Although FDA has met its primary PDUFA goal of speeding the review of new products, questions about the law's impact on drug safety and funding dominate current debate. To inform that debate as reauthorization is considered, this paper examines:
- Current law and FDA's proposed revisions, which would enable the agency to collect more revenue; enhance premarket review; and revise the postmarket safety system.
- The impact of PDUFA on the FDA's budget and on drug safety. The agency has shifted resources from research, training, field inspections and other activities in order to meet its commitment to timely drug reviews. Outside evaluations by the Institute of Medicine and others, coupled with several highly publicized safety problems, have raised questions about FDA's current approach to post-marketing surveillance.
- Proposals to enhance drug safety. These include financing the FDA through federal revenues rather than industry fees; strengthening information technology; and developing risk-monitoring strategies at the time of approval.
Under the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, most individuals eligible for Medicaid are required to document their U.S. citizenship or residency status, as well as to prove their personal identity, before receiving the health care benefit. Although eligibility standards are otherwise unchanged, some of the nation's most vulnerable and medically underserved populations have lost Medicaid coverage as a result, according to a new study by researchers at GW's School of Public Health and Health Services. It has also strained the system of federally funded community health centers, which provide high-quality, cost-effective care to 14 million people, many of them Medicaid beneficiaries or among the uninsured. This paper describes the mandated changes in Medicaid documentation requirements and their impact.
