U of M News Wire
May 1, 2008
New U of M report shows Americans want health care reform
By Ryan Mathre
U of M News Wire
According to new University of Minnesota research, presidential candidates must understand public opinion on health care if they expect to woo voters. Americans ranked health care among the most important problems facing the country.
U.S. health care reform has not advanced on the political agenda since the 1992 presidential election, and presidential candidates will face a similar electorate in 2008, according to Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
In new research published in the May 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Jacobs argues that presidential candidates must understand the complexities of public opinion on health care if they expect to woo voters. At the end of the 1992 primary season, as now, Americans ranked health care among the four most important problems facing the country, making public opinion on this issue as critical as ever.
"The current moment in U.S. health care reform is eerily reminiscent of the lead-up to the 1992 election," Jacobs said. "Then, as now, the country was facing an economic downturn and had been engaged in a war in the Middle East that threatened to distract attention from domestic matters. But there also was unusually broad agreement among Americans and the presidential candidates that our health care system needed reform--a negative consensus that still holds today."
Though 90 percent of Americans (polled between 1991 and 2007) consistently agree that the U.S. health system needs reform, there is no convergence on reform proposals.
Adding to the confusion, surveys have found that when given a choice between a new government-run system and the current, mostly privately managed health care system, respondents have chosen to keep what they have. Even supporters of reform were swayed when presented with possible downsides of a new system--greater cost sharing, limited choice, and increased waiting times.
"There are no easy answers that address what Americans want in theory and what Americans will accept in practice," Jacobs adds. "Discussion of the public's attitudes toward health care reform too often misses these contradictory strains. An accurate assessment requires recognition of Americans' multiple and competing considerations, which will affect the debate over the government's role in health care during the presidential campaign."
So what are we to do?
Jacobs finds that without dramatic change in public sentiment, Democrats and Republicans face daunting obstacles in rallying broad support for particular reforms. Yet, visionary leadership may overrule public opinion.
"Although public opinion influences legislators' agendas, legislators themselves still must choose to overcome differences and work together on this issue," Jacobs said. "Broad agreement on a reform proposal--and on the details--is critical among policymakers. It is worth remembering that Medicare was passed in 1965 with only 46 percent of the public's support."
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U of M Carlson School's student run Funds Enterprise Reaches 10 Year Anniversary with $25 million worth of investments
By Ryan Mathre
U of M News Wire
Since its inception in 1998, the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management's Carlson Growth Fund has consistently outperformed the Russell 2000 Growth Index, and is currently worth approximately $10 million. As a result of being successfully managed by more than 200 students over the course of the past decade, the Carlson Funds Enterprise is celebrating with lab renovations and a new fundraising campaign.
The Carlson Growth Fund, a small-cap growth fund, is one of two partnerships managed by students at the Carlson School as part of the Carlson Funds Enterprise, a program designed to give students real-world experience analyzing companies and investing in their securities. The Carlson Fixed Income Fund, the other fund in the program, is celebrating its five-year anniversary. The Carlson Funds Enterprise has more than $25 million distributed between the two funds.
The Carlson Funds Enterprise was launched on May 4, 1998 with $3.5 million in initial investments from Alliance Capital Partners, Ameriprise Financial, U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co. to be used for the Carlson Growth Fund (originally named the Golden Gopher Growth Fund). Since then, the fund has gained Securian Financial Group, Inc., Piper Jaffray & Co. and two individuals as participants.
As of March 2008, the Carlson Growth Fund had grown 134.76 percent since 1998. On a compound annual rate, the fund has increased at 8.99 percent per year, while the Russell 2000 Index has returned 1.7 percent per year.
Students in the Funds Enterprise research potential investments and consult with Program Director Joe Barsky and expert mentors several times per semester. In the end, the students decide on where to invest the money. "To give students the opportunity to make decisions on where to invest real money and have industry leaders offer them advice is an unmatched experience," said Barsky.
The Carlson Funds Enterprise program has become one of the school's distinguishing trademarks due to its great success. The most notable success in the Carlson Growth Fund's history came five years ago with the investment in Intuitive Surgical Inc., an obscure medical equipment firm.
Avanish Vellanki and Christian Lundsgaard, two MBA students at the time, recommended the stock, not knowing how successful it would become. A small portion of the stock was purchased for $15.60 per share in December 2003, and a larger portion was bought at a similar price in 2004. As of April 8, 2008, Intuitive Surgical stock had risen to $347.10 per share, with the fund having realized profits of more than $1 million since the original purchase.
"It is very rare to identify, invest in and hold on to a stock that has risen twenty-fold in five years," said Barsky.
To celebrate the impressive growth of the two funds over five and 10 years, respectively, the Carlson Funds Enterprise has initiated a fundraising campaign to raise $7 million to fund a lab remodeling, a fellowship program, investments in portfolio management and accounting systems and an endowment fund to cover annual operating expenses to reach the goal of becoming self-sustaining.
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Growing Concerns
A parenting question-and-answer column with Dr. Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota
Question: My wife and I are at odds in determining the amount of candy to give our 4 year old. I am concerned that he will develop poor eating habits and she is concerned that if she does not supply him with a daily amount of candy he will over-indulge himself once he is on his own. Our society does not reinforce proper eating habits and I think fruits can satisfy most of those sweet cravings and still supply some vitamins and minerals. Your thoughts?
Answer: With young children it can be difficult to know how to handle those special treats. Your wife’s concern about the “forbidden fruit” phenomenon (or forbidden candy, in this case) is not unfounded.
Telling a child he can’t have something often does make that item even more desirable, but that does not mean a child should be given candy every day. It’s up to parents to set reasonable guidelines for a child’s diet, just as for other aspects of a child’s behavior. It also is important to explain the reasons for those guidelines so, as a child grows older, he has a framework for choosing wisely on his own. Of course, as with all areas of behavior, the example parents set with their own behavior will be the most powerful lesson of all.
Like you, I prefer to offer candy only as an occasional treat. I do not like to see children believe they are entitled to candy every single day. However, I believe the most important issue here is the overall eating pattern you and your wife are helping your son establish.
If your son is being encouraged to eat a well-balanced diet, including plenty of fruits and vegetables – and if he is given a small piece of candy after a healthful meal – then it is unlikely that any harm is being done. But if he’s eating large amounts of candy or if the candy is reducing his appetite for nutritious foods, he could be headed for trouble. Eating habits established early in life have long-term consequences for health and nutrition. High-calorie, empty-calorie diets in the early years of life are associated with obesity, both in childhood and at later ages.
So, what can you do? If your son is aware that you and his mom disagree about the candy, you’re at risk of being the bad guy – the candy police, so to speak. But, if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, you can seize an opportunity here to broaden your son’s (and perhaps your wife’s) sense of what a special treat is – and to have some fun at the same time.
As the weather warms up, how about engaging your son in making ice-cube-tray popsicles with real fruit juice. For something different, try adding a fresh strawberry or raspberry to each cube, so he gets the fiber of whole fruit. Or use the blender to mix up a fruit smoothie, letting your son create his own concoction with fresh or frozen fruits, a little yogurt and a small amount of his favorite juice. Or fill a small bowl with vanilla yogurt and use it as a dip for chunks of fruit or graham crackers. These are just a few of the treats that have satisfied the sweet tooth of youngsters around our house over the years and provided some nutritional value at the same time.
I’m sure you and your son can create your own recipes or find other nutritious ideas in one of many children’s cookbooks available at your public library. And I hope your wife will agree to pull back on the candy at least part of the time and join you in exploring more healthful alternatives.
Want to hear more parenting advice?
Dr. Erickson and her daughter can be heard every Sunday, from 2 - 4 pm, on “Good Enough Moms,” on FM107.1 radio in the Twin Cities or via Webcast at www.FM1071.com
