November 2011
In this Issue
NEW MEDIA:
- The Commonwealth Fund released two podcasts that are available for streaming online. Transforming Safety Net Clinics into Medical Homes reports on a Commonwealth Fund initiative to develop medical homes out of community clinics that treat and serve low-income people, and Dual Eligibles: Coordinating Care for People with Medicare and Medicaid explores a variety of strategies to help this population and control its health care costs.
- The Urban Institute produced What Happened to the CLASS Act?, the first of a two-part video series that examines the goals and fallbacks of the act while emphasizing the need for greater access to long-term care.
- Urban Health Cast has posted video from The Politics of Race: Reframing the Health Equity Dialogue, the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Fall Health Braintrust held in September. Video from panel discussions, award ceremonies, and a special presentation can all be found here in parts one and two.
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting nominations for its Community Health Leaders program. Each year the foundation honors up to 10 outstanding and otherwise unrecognized individuals who overcame daunting odds to improve health and health care, especially for underserved populations in communities across the United States. The program aims to elevate the work of these unsung leaders through heightened recognition, technical assistance and new leadership opportunities. Health Leaders will receive a generous personal award and a large sum to support an organization initiative for two years. The deadline for nominations is November 18. For more information and to nominate an individual, click here.
- The Kaiser Family Foundation is accepting applications for the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program, an 11-week program that places rising college seniors and recent college graduates congressional offices to learn about health policy issues, specifically issues affecting racial and ethnic minorities and underserved communities. The deadline for applications is December 16 for the summer 2012 program. For more information, click here.
- The Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy aims to prepare physicians for leadership roles in advancing health policies and practices that improve access to high-quality care at the national, state, and/or local levels for the minority, disadvantaged, and other vulnerable populations. The fellow will pursue a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard University School of Public Health while receiving a $50,000 stipend, full tuition, health insurance, books, travel, and related program expenses, including financial assistance for a practicum project. Up to five one-year, degree-granting fellowships will be awarded for the 2012-2013 year. Applications are due January 4, 2012. For more information and to apply, click here.
- The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital is now accepting applications for the 2012-2013 Disparities Leadership Program (DLP). This year-long executive education program is designed for leaders from hospitals, health plans, and other health care organizations who wish to implement practical strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities in health care, particularly through quality improvement. Although applications are not due until February 2012, interested parties are encouraged to submit an intent to apply form by Friday, November 18, 2011. To download application materials or for more information, please visit the Disparities Solutions Center website here or contact Aswita Tan-McGrory at atanmcgrory@partners.org.
PUBLICATIONS:
- Families USA published The Bottom Line: How the Affordable Care Act Helps America's Families, which illustrates the net financial effects of the Affordable Care Act on family budgets. Its findings show that lower- and middle-income families, both uninsured and insured, will benefit financially from the law. State-specific reports are also available.
- Families USA released Presumptive Eligibility: A Step toward Streamlined Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP, a report that explores how the Affordable Care Act expands presumptive eligibility to help states streamline enrollment and discusses the important role that presumptive eligibility can play in helping low-income people get access to care during and after the implementation of the new law.
- Families USA released Making the Most of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs): What Advocates Need to Know, which provides an overview of ACOs; the promise they hold; and how they could change Medicare, Medicaid, and the health care landscape. It also identifies key challenges in their development and suggests how advocates can get involved in ways that benefit patients.
- Families USA developed a report titled The Basic Health Option: Will It Work for Low-Income Consumers?, which provides a framework for advocates to think about whether this option, created by the health care law, will work for their state. It covers program basics, discusses the problems it might address, and raises key issues that can affect the direction such a program might take.
- The National Council of La Raza, the Urban Institute, and the Kaiser Family Foundation each independently produced reports on immigrant health access. The NCLR piece, Overcoming Immigrant Barriers to Coverage: Options for Health Care When Major Programs Don’t Cut it, briefly examines a variety of factors that cause the nation’s immigrants to have poor coverage. The Urban Institute’s A Comprehensive Review of Immigrant Access to Health and Human Services reflects on all the federal policies that affect immigrant eligibility for health programs. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s publication, Connecting Eligible Immigrant Families to Health Coverage and Care: Key Lessons from Outreach and Enrollment Workers, explores the role that programs like Medicaid play in immigrant health access, the health access related barriers facing immigrants, and solutions for removing these obstacles in the future.
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The Supreme Court to Hear Case on Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act
On November 14, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it had granted a writ of certiorari to review a challenge to the Affordable Care Act. It will review the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that found the individual responsibility provision unconstitutional. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court announced it will also hear arguments against the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which extends quality health care to millions of low-income Americans. So far, two other appellate courts that have heard challenges to the Affordable Care Act have upheld its constitutionality without caveat and a third dismissed the case on procedural grounds. The Supreme Court will likely hear oral arguments this spring and reach a decision sometime in June.
Super Committee on Deficit Reduction Must Reach Agreement by 11/23
The super committee has roughly a week left to meet its deadline of finding an agreement on $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction savings. Both the Republicans and Democrats on the super committee have offered their individual debt reduction proposals, but neither party has demonstrated willingness to agree to the opposing plans. At the center of the disagreement is Republicans’ refusal to include substantial revenue as part of the overall package. Medicaid and Medicare will be at risk as long as the conversation about how to reduce the deficit continues. It is vital that advocates continue to reach out to their Members of Congress and urge them to protect these programs. Visit the Stand Up for Health Care Super Committee Action Hub to see how you can take action today.
Following Suspension of CLASS Act, Republicans Vote for Repeal
Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would be suspending implementation of the CLASS Act because the current financing plans were not actuarially sound. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius outlined the reasoning behind the decision and emphasized the Administration’s commitment to affordable access to high-quality long-term care in a blog post. In a largely symbolic move, House Republicans are pushing repeal the CLASS Act, despite the fact that it is no longer being pursued by the Administration.
Comments Requested
HHS Seeks Comments on Draft Strategy That Promotes Healthy Communities and Protects People's Health
On October 3, the Department of Health and Human Services put out a request for public comments on its 2012 Environmental Justice Strategy draft. The strategy aims to promote the health of all Americans by advancing environmental justice for low-income and minority populations. The comment period will close on December 3, 2011, at 11:59 PM EDT. Comments should be emailed to ejstrategy@hhs.gov.
HHS Updates
HHS Announces New Standards for Improved Data Collection to Reduce Disparities
On October 31, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a new set of guidelines for data collection to more accurately and consistently measure disparities in care. The guidelines are an implementation of key provisions in the Affordable Care Act created to improve data collection efforts and reduce health disparities. By better measuring race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability, HHS will be able to more easily determine why disparities occur. For more information, see the HHS announcement.
The Health Access Project at the Korean Resource Center: Breaking the Language Barrier
In Los Angeles County, the Korean Resource Center (KRC) acts in the interests of the area’s historically underserved immigrant and low-income communities. The center incorporates four key components into their strategy for helping the community: service, education, organizing, and advocacy. These components are part of their many initiatives, including the Center’s Health Access Project, which strives to improve the health status of Korean Americans and advocate for the immigrant community in health policy decision making.
A significant portion of the Korean American immigrant community in Los Angeles, including roughly 70 percent of seniors, is limited English proficient, which makes it more difficult to get needed health and social services. The goal of the Korean Resource Center’s Health Access Project is to help this population break through this barrier to care.
One way they work toward accomplishing this goal is by providing free language-appropriate health care-related consultations and enrollment assistance for programs like Medi-Cal for kids, Health Families, Healthy Kids, and others. Also, the center provides public education and free consultations about the Medicare Part D benefits. Ever since its implementation in 2006, Medicare Part D has caused confusion, especially for individuals with limited English proficiency. The center provides educational workshops on Medicare Part D to help Korean American seniors understand how they can sign up for and benefit from the program. From 2010 to 2011, the Health Access Project helped 5,482 seniors enroll in and renew their Medicare Part D benefits.
The Korean Resource Center has also helped Korean Americans gain access to other services otherwise unavailable to them. Twice a year it holds a Koreatown Health Day to provide low-income and uninsured community members health education, basic examinations, and consultation—all at no cost. Earlier this spring, the Health Day hosted nearly 150 patients. And, through a partnership with the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, the Health Access Project has provided community clinics to low-income and uninsured consumers seeking second opinions. These clinics, which provide services in patients’ own language, have helped many Korean Americans to review previous diagnoses and treatments and to better understand their conditions.
While service constitutes a major focus of the Health Access Project, another focus is advocating for the community. The bulk of the project’s advocacy efforts this year has been in defending social safety-net programs from budget cuts. The state of California is facing a serious budgetary crisis. In response, some policy makers pushed for an austerity plan that would reduce Medicare benefits and eliminate immigrant eligibility for safety-net programs. Although the state’s fiscal problems remain unresolved and proposed solutions are not ideal, the current proposals do not include measures to cut off immigrants from the safety net, thanks in part to the project’s efforts.
Some California lawmakers are driving for more spending cuts, but the Health Access Project has promoted a balanced solution that relies on raising revenues as well as making cuts if necessary. The group has worked tirelessly to educate the public and lawmakers about the impact of cuts on the population. During the budget debates, the project held monthly presentations on the potential impact of cuts at local senior centers.
Moreover, the group has organized the Community Health Promoters, an alliance of Korean American seniors that meets monthly to campaign for senior health and civil rights. The Health Access Project and Community Health Promoters organized legislative visits to the state capital to share their stories, educate lawmakers about the impact of cuts on these seniors, and ultimately advocate for a just, sound solution to California’s fiscal woes. They also launched a media campaign around the Sacramento visits, holding press events and securing hits in earned media outlets.
The Health Access Project at the Korean Resource Center provides and fights for the low-income and immigrant communities through its service, advocacy, organizing, and education work. By giving a voice to the underserved and underrepresented, the Health Access Project empowers Korean Americans in Los Angeles and throughout the nation.
For more information, please contact Dae Joong Yoon at djyoon@krcla.org.
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- Building Community Engagement in Underserved Neighborhoods/The Path to Health Empowerment
November 17 - 18, 2011
Kellogg Conference Hotel, Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
Sponsor: Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE)
For more information and to register, click here.
- 2011 Disparities Forum: What Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Would Want Us to Know About Health Care Disparities
November 30, 2011
O’Keefe Auditorium, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114
Sponsor: The Disparities Solutions Center
For more information and to register, click here.
- Health Outcomes Among Children and Families Living in Rural Communities
December 1 - 2, 2011
Masur Auditorium, Clinical Research Center (Building 10), NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, MD 20892
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health and many others.
For more information and to register, click here.
- 9th Annual Promotoras and Community Health Workers Conference
December 2 - 3, 2011
Los Angeles Airport Marriott, 5655 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Sponsor: Visión y Compromiso
For more information and to register, click here.
- 8th National Low-Income Immigrant Rights Conference
December 8 - 10, 2011
Doubletree Hotel Crystal City, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202
Sponsor: National Immigration Law Center
For more information and to register, click here.
- Health Action Conference
January 19 - 21, 2012
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
Sponsor: Families USA
For more information and to register, click here.
Requests for Local Publications
Here
at Families USA, we believe that public education is essential to
gaining support for health reform. We are asking that you help us in our
efforts to educate the public about the benefits of the Affordable Care
Act by informing us of local, state, and even national newspapers that
serve your community. We are especially interested in outlets that reach
various racial and ethnic groups and senior citizens. If you have any
questions or would like to submit publications, please contact the Health Equity Department at Families USA at healthequity@familiesusa.org.
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We’d like to hear from you!
If you would like to see your organization or event
highlighted in a future edition of our newsletter, please send us a
brief description of your organization and its activities, as well as
your contact information. We also welcome guest authors for
the Activities in the Field section of the newsletter. This section
provides members of the minority health field with the opportunity to
share their experiences and insights with other advocates. Please send
all correspondence to: healthequity@familiesusa.org.
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