February 2011
In this Issue
NEW MEDIA:
- Families USA recently held its annual conference, Health Action 2011. This year, President Barack Obama addressed our health care grassroots advocates. He spoke about the challenges ahead for health reform implementation and the opportunities for promoting access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. The conference also included a plenary, Creating a Strong Foundation for Health Equity, that identified opportunities to shape provisions that affect communities of color and ways to engage our communities in effective health reform implementation. The plenary’s speakers included Gail Christopher of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Cecilia Munoz of the White House of Intergovernmental Affairs, Brian Smedley of the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center of Political and Economic Studies, and Ali Noorani of the Immigration Forum. To view President Obama’s speech and the health equity plenary, visit http://www.healthaction2011.org/.
- The National Women’s Law Center offers a number of resources on their website Making the Grade on Women’s Health. Resources include the findings of their latest report in a series that assesses women’s health at the national and state level and data on race and ethnicity, income, and health status. The site also includes an interactive map and social media tools that show how the health reform law may improve women’s health.
- The Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights developed the Grassroots Campaign and Advocacy Toolkit. This resource provides advocates with the basic structure and strategies needed to plan and carry out an effective grassroots public education or advocacy campaign. It includes tools to help advocates establish goals, create a strategy, make a step-by-step plan, and mobilize the people, partners, and resources to make all goals achievable.
PUBLICATIONS:
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the Health Disparities and Inequalities Report. The report is the first in a series of periodic assessments that highlight health disparities by sex, race and ethnicity, income, education, disability status, and other characteristics. It examines disparities in health care access, exposure to environmental hazards, mortality, morbidity, behavioral risk factors, disability status, and social determinants of health at the national level.
- Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health released a report titled The Public’s Health Care Agenda for the 112th Congress. This survey examines the public’s views and opinions of the role of health care interest groups in the ongoing federal health care debate. The study also notes whether people feel that their views are represented in the ongoing legislative process and their level of trust in different groups.
- Department of Health and Human Services released a new report Health Insurance Premiums: Past High Costs Will Become the Present and Future without Health Reform showing what the Affordable Care Act means for health insurance premiums paid by consumers and employers. This report examines the past, present, and future regarding the likely effects of the law on premiums, along with what might happen without it. We learn through this report that without health reform, American consumers and businesses would face higher premiums, fewer insurance choices, and rapidly rising health care costs.
- California Pan-Ethnic Health Network published How Medical Homes Can Advance Health Equity. This issue brief describes the various medical home models and highlights the characteristics of medical homes that could advance health equity. The report urges patient, consumer, and community advocates, particularly from communities of color and other underserved populations, to continue to play a vital role in shaping medical home models.
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation compiled a report, State of the States: Laying the Foundation for Health Reform, which highlights states’ early achievements in implementing the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The report describes how states implemented state-based pre-existing condition insurance plans, collected data to do early planning for state-based health insurance exchanges, worked to implement insurance reforms, and improved their premium rate review process.
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation developed a policy brief titled Preventive Services without Cost-Sharing. In this brief, researchers examine the importance of preventive services, the expansion of access to those services required by the new law, and the pros and cons of expanding access to screenings and other tests that might increase costs without necessarily improving health outcomes.
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Comments Requested: New Rule Ensures Health Insurance Protections for College Students
A new proposed regulation announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to ensure that students enrolled in college or university health plans benefit from important consumer protections created by the Affordable Care Act. College and university plans are now defined as “individual health insurance coverage.” Protections provided for student health plans would include: (1) no lifetime limits on coverage; (2) no arbitrary rescissions of insurance coverage; and (3) no pre-existing condition exclusions for students under age 19. For a fact sheet about this new proposed rule, please click here. As a part of the new proposed rule, HHS also is requesting comments on how other Affordable Care Act protections might apply to student health plans, including the choice of medical provider and application of the new medical loss ratio rules. Please submit your comments to OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov by April 12, 2011.
Grant Funding: $40 Million Available to States for CHIPRA Outreach and Enrollment
Two years after President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that more than 2 million additional children were served by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at some point over the past year. Together, the two programs serve more than 42 million children who would otherwise not have access to regular medical care. To continue to advance coverage for children, Secretary Sebelius announced $40 million in new grants, awarded through the ACA, to states, community-based organizations, school systems, and others to support their outreach and enrollment activities. The grants will help states further modernize and streamline their administrative systems, as well as create and implement school-based outreach strategies and approaches for identifying children who have historically been hard to reach. To learn more, please click here. For more information about the CHIPRA grants, click here. CMS will also sponsor a call on Wednesday, March 9, 2011. from 2 pm to 4 pm (EST) about the CHIPRA Outreach and Enrollment Grants. The call-in number is 1-877-267-1577, meeting ID: 0107
Litigation Update: Florida Ruling
On January 31, Judge Rodger Vinson of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida ruled that the individual responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Judge Vinson then went even further and struck down the entire Affordable Care Act, including provisions completely unrelated to the individual responsibility provision. The Justice Department has already indicated it will appeal the ruling. In the meantime, the media attention on the case gives us an opportunity to remind the public again of all the benefits of the Affordable Care Act that are at stake. Of the cases that have tested the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, 13 cases were dismissed, 2 were won, and 2 were lost.
Updates from the Department of Health and Human Services
President Obama Announces Members of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health
President Obama selected 13 individuals to serve on the Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health Advisory Group. The Advisory Group is responsible for developing policy and program recommendations and advising the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council on lifestyle-based chronic disease prevention and management, integrative health care practices, and health promotion. To learn about the members selected for the Advisory Group, click here.
HHS Announces $750 Million in Investments for Prevention and Public Health Services
Secretary Sebelius announced $750 million in investments for prevention and public health, funded through the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. Building on $500 million in investments last year, these new dollars will help prevent tobacco use, obesity, heart disease, stroke, and cancer; increase immunizations; and empower individuals and communities with tools and resources for local prevention and health initiatives. These new funds are dedicated to expanding on four critical priorities: (1) community prevention ($298 million), (2) clinical prevention ($182 million), (3) public health infrastructure ($137 million), and (4) research and tracking ($133 million). For more information about Prevention and Public Health Fund investments, please click here. Healthcare.gov has also released factsheets about how the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund works in your state. Click here to view this resource.
3 Million Medicare Beneficiaries Received Prescription Drug Rebate Checks under the Affordable Care Act
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that to date, 3 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries who fell into the drug coverage gap known as the doughnut hole during 2010 have been mailed a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check. These checks are the first step in reducing prescription drug costs for beneficiaries in the doughnut hole, a provision of the Affordable Care Act. Each year, the costs of prescription drugs in the doughnut hole will be reduced until it is completely closed in 2020. Starting this year, eligible beneficiaries in the coverage gap will receive a 50 percent discount on covered brand name medications while in the doughnut hole. In addition, in 2011, Medicare will begin paying 7 percent of the price for generic drugs while beneficiaries are in the coverage gap. For more information on Medicare beneficiaries receiving drug rebates, please click here. To learn more about the new doughnut hole discount program, click here.
School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan
In Michigan, school-based health centers have delivered comprehensive health care services for 20 years. Using 90 school-linked health centers and programs to provide a variety of health services to nearly 200,000 children statewide, the School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan (SCHA-MI) is working to build a healthy future in Michigan. The School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan is a collaboration of individuals and organizations that represent and support school-based and school-linked health centers and programs: it serves as an overseer and coordinator of all the school-based health centers. Its mission is to advocate for and promote school-based and school-linked health and prevention services; educate community, educational, social, and political leadership about the health needs of children and youth; engage broad-based community and legislative support; and provide a forum for professional and agency support, education, training, resource development, and networking for members. In 2009, these clinics provided more than 142,000 direct services and 26,000 risk education and health promotion services.
The clinics serve a minority demographic that includes African American, Latino, and Arab-Chaldean populations. However, Policy Director Deborah Riddick notes that these health centers are not established based on the community’s racial makeup, but its poverty level. Establishing clinics in the poverty-stricken areas of Michigan allows these health centers to be created in both rural and urban parts of the state and become inclusive of both minority and majority students. Locating the clinics in the most critical areas of the state addresses limited access to health care in a cost-effective way.
Riddick states that the success of these clinics stems from the fact that each clinic is modeled after its surrounding community. To ensure this happens, when the School-Community Health Alliance approves a school-based health center, children from that area compete to be a member of the youth advisory council for the center. This council makes decisions that range from the design of the center to ensuring the feedback process for the center is appropriate. Additionally, the council promotes these clinics to the youth in the community. Riddick believes that these leadership opportunities cause the students in the area to become strongly invested into the centers, and ultimately, these students become advocates for health care.
Unfortunately, through the years, these community centers have faced threats of cuts by state legislatures and Michigan governors. However, the students involved mobilize to show state legislatures the importance of the school-based health centers. The School-Community Health Alliance has created an Advocacy Day for these students to express their views: This year, Advocacy Day is March 24, 2011. The School-Community Health Alliance sponsors students and other advocates’ travels to the state capitol to present testimonials about the importance of the school-based health centers. They meet with legislators to discuss the value of the centers to their neighborhoods, and they emphasize that these centers are an excellent return on investment.
The students have a profound effect on state legislators: their efforts have protected the centers many times. These students also give back to the community by hosting a statewide advocacy training once a year. This coincides with their mission to provide resource development for others. Using health care as their advocacy model, students who participate in the alliance provide resources and tools for grassroots organizing. With these students’ exposure to the health care debate, they have come to understand the benefits of health reform and have become educators in their community. The School-Community Health Alliance has provided a very strong example for youth engagement in health care issues.
For more information, email Deborah Riddick at driddick@scha-mi.org or (517) 908-0847.
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- 14th Annual Health Education Advocacy Summit
March 5-7, 2011
Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
Sponsor: Coalition of National Health Education Organizations, National Association Chronic Disease Directors, and Association of Accredited Public Health
For more information and to register, click here.
- Utilizing Interdisciplinary Strategies to Advance from Disparity to Reform
March 27-29, 2011
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Sponsor: Xavier University College of Pharmacy's Center for Minority Health & Health Disparities
For more information and to register, click here.
- From Disparities Research to Disparities Interventions: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for the Future of Behavioral Health
April 6-8, 2011
Ritz Carlton Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202
Sponsor: University of South Florida
For more information and to register, click here.
- 8th Annual National Leadership Summit on Health Disparities and 2011 CBC Health Braintrust
April 11-12, 2011
Ritz Carlton Hotel, 1150 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Sponsor: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. and National Minority Quality Forum
For more information and to register, click here.
- American Public Health Association Mid-Year Meeting—Implementing Health Reform: A Public Health Approach
June 23-25, 2011
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, 301 East North Water Street, Chicago, IL 60611
Sponsor: American Public Health Association
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
Minority Health Initiatives Department here at Families USA at minorityhealth@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: minorityhealth@familiesusa.org.
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