Keith Salzman, IBM chief medical information officer for global business services, said the U.S. government under utilizes one third of its $3 trillion healthcare spending.

Salzman wrote in a blog post published Tuesday the government should reallocate “misapplied” healthcare investment to social services initiatives to optimize the health of individuals without spending more.

Compared with other countries the U.S. overspends on healthcare services and underspends on social services highlighting the disconnect in the funding of services.

“Remember that healthcare can affect about 10% of the beneficiary’s experience of health while other factors: socioeconomic status, environment, education, behavior (social determinants of health) account for roughly 60%,” Salzman wrote.

He noted the New Jersey-based Camden Coalition of healthcare providers saw lower costs, hospitalization rates and use of outpatient services when they worked to address healthcare issues directly.

Salzman added the Camden Coalition is conducting a study that involves 800 patients in efforts to determine whether direct intervention for “high utilizers” with chronic medical conditions affects outcomes.

The Departments of Education, Military and Veterans Affairs in Pennsylvania have introduced a new policy to reduce processing times for veterans, active military personnel and their spouses who apply for a teacher license.

Reps. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-New York) and Pam DeLissio (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) are currently working to turn House Bill 2078 into law after the House Education Committee passed the policy, the state announced Monday.

“This policy will ease and accelerate the transition for our veterans, military members, and their spouses when they head back into Pennsylvania schools,” said Pedro Rivera, Secretary of Education.

The policy aims to lower the overall cost and expedite the process of applying for teacher certifications for veterans, military members and their spouses when they return to the state after serving elsewhere.

The Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education worked over the past year to formulate the policy, which requires that an applicant must have served at least 180 days of active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces or must have a certificate of honorable dismissal.

Furthermore, applicants must also meet Pennsylvania’s certification requirements.

Active military members, veterans and spouses can apply for a teacher license through the online Teacher Information Management System.

 

A draft report by the House Appropriations Committee says an appropriations bill that would authorize $19.5 billion in total budget for NASA for fiscal year 2017 would not allocate any funds for the Asteroid Redirect Mission, Space News reported Monday.

Jeff Foust writes the House committee released the report Monday ahead of the scheduled May 24 markup of the FY 2017 commerce, justice and science spending bill.

The House committee noted that the bill would provide $1.8 billion in budget for planetary science programs, including $260 million in funds to support a mission to planet Jupiter’s Europa moon, Foust reports.

The proposed legislation also includes additional funds for NASA’s Orion program and Space Launch System and would authorize $1.69 billion for Earth science initiatives and $75 million for deep space habitats, according to Space News.