Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Unfortunately, the funding to support SB1088 is missing from initial budget proposals. Officials estimate we need $359,700 from the general fund plus $818,000 in federal Medicaid dollars to fund the program. While not an insignificant amount, the public health implications of failing to provide expectant mothers with dental coverage have a far greater cost. This is why I encourage the legislature to include funding for SB1088 in the final budget.

It’s too late for my brother, but there’s still time for countless other AHCCCS enrollees struggling with opioid addiction. They deserve the best possible chance of recovery. And their physicians are owed the broadest possible arsenal of medications to fight this battle.

Arizona’s justice system is at a breaking point. In the last 20 years, our prison population has grown seven times faster than our general population, putting us in the unenviable position of having the fifth highest imprisonment rate in the country. Our prisons now cost taxpayers $1 billion a year.

Our sincere hope is that our legislators continue on the path they’ve taken to adjust Arizona tax laws to benefit both the taxpayers and the nonprofit organizations they stand behind.

Democrats from across the country are uniting around a new legislative proposal, "Medicare for All." This Obamacare 2.0 reboot would in fact cripple and bankrupt our underfunded Medicare system, while denying crucial benefits for our seniors who have paid into it during their entire working lives.

Since this issue is consistently wrapped in politics, we find it important to view it from a different perspective: what is the public health implication of education inequality and how is the way we treat our teachers interconnected? Facts are nice, so let’s include those, particularly regarding large class sizes, classroom funding, and shortage of teachers and how these relate to education inequality.

Nearly 10 years after Arizona approved the use of medical marijuana, the medicine remains a controversial topic for many. In fact, universal agreement related to almost anything to do with marijuana would seem incredibly unlikely.

Independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners witness Medicare Part D’s convoluted and opaque prescription drug rebate system in action every day. However, the true victims of this broken rebate distribution system, Medicare beneficiaries, are often unaware of the impact it has on them at the pharmacy counter. These beneficiaries are often the most vulnerable, relying on affordable access to prescription medications and trusting that the system will produce a fair price for the drugs they need.

Twenty years ago, a group of Hispanic parents and educators, known as English for the Children – Arizona, registered their initiative at the state Capitol with the intent of replacing bilingual education with English immersion instruction for children limited in ...

Don’t get me wrong. Elected officials should have vision. However, our leaders should also be pragmatic.