Minority Health Resource Center:
Specific Health Policy Topics 

Topics in Minority Health Access to Health Care Specific Health Policy Topics Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Other Minority Health Topics Data Centers on the Web Key Resources in the Minority Health Field Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare Kaiser Family Foundation: Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity & Medical Care Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2008

Specific Health Policy Topics

Medicaid and SCHIP

• SCHIP and Children's Health Coverage: Leveling the Playing Field for Minority Children examines the crucial role that Medicaid and SCHIP play in covering children of color. (December 2006, updated June 2007)
• Since the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005, most U.S. citizens and nationals applying for or renewing their Medicaid coverage face a new federal requirement to provide documentation of their citizenship status. Citizenship Documentation Requirements in Medicaid provides up-to-date information on these requirements and discusses the implications for Medicaid beneficiaries and states. (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, January 2007)
• New Medicaid Regulations Discriminate against U.S.-Born Children of Immigrants calls attention to a specific provision in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) that unfairly targets children born to immigrant mothers. (Families USA, August 2006)
  

Medicare

• Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008: Addressing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities discusses how the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) addresses health disparities within the Medicare population. MIPPA provisions to address these issues include: improved data collection for measuring and evaluating health disparities, outreach to the previously uninsured, and compliance with cultural competency standards. (Families USA, November 2008)
• Congress Delivers Help to People with Medicare: An Overview of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act discusses the positive changes the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) makes to Medicare. These changes include the improvement of Medicare health care benefits, the creation of policies that reduce racial and ethnic disparities among beneficiaries, and the reining in of inefficient private Medicare Advantage Plans. (Families USA, October 2008)
• MA Windfall Payments: A Source of Help for Low-Income Children and Seniors? is a PowerPoint presentation that looks at overpayments to private Medicare Advantage plans. Are these extra payments needed to serve seniors from communities of color? Or could these federal dollars be put to better use—covering kids and helping low-income seniors? (May 2007)
• Low Income and Minority Beneficiaries Do Not Rely Disproportionately on Medicare Advantage Plans: Industry Campaign to Protect Billions in Overpayments Rests on Distortions provides arguments to counter the claim that curbing overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans would harm low-income and minority Medicare beneficiaries. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 2007)
• Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Fail Limited-English Proficient Beneficiaries, indicates that companies that contract with the federal government to provide prescription drug coverage to California Medicare beneficiaries are falling short on their obligation to provide service in languages other than English. (National Senior Citizens Law Center, February 2007)
• Report of the Study Panel on Medicare and Disparities: Strengthening Medicare’s Role in Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities examines Medicare’s role in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities and puts forth 17 recommendations for policymakers on how Medicare can move towards this goal. (National Academy of Social Insurance, October 2006)
• African Americans and the New Medicare Drug Benefit: These materials include a slide show on how the new benefit will affect African Americans, as well as a chart pack with statistics on African Americans, Latinos, and whites with Medicare. These resources highlight potential implications for outreach efforts under the new Medicare drug benefit. (Kaiser Family Foundation, November 14, 2005)
• Structured Inefficiency: The Impact of Medicare Reform on African Americans summarizes key aspects of the new Medicare prescription drug law and analyzes their likely effect on African-American seniors. (Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Center for Policy Analysis and Research, January 2004)
• The Six Million Medicare Beneficiaries Excluded from Prescription Drug Benefits under the Senate Bill Are Disproportionately Minority reports that African American and Latino Medicare beneficiaries are at least twice as likely to be excluded from Medicare drug coverage under the Senate bill because they are dual eligibles. However, a majority of dual eligibles are non-Hispanic whites. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 2003)
• How Do Patterns of Prescription Drug Coverage And Use Differ for White, African American, and Latino Medicare Beneficiaries Under 65 and 65+? provides a snapshot of racial and ethnic differences in Medicare beneficiaries' drug coverage, use, and spending. (Kaiser Family Foundation, July 2003)
• Unequal Access: African-American Medicare Beneficiaries and the Prescription Drug Gap reports that African Americans' lower incomes, lack of supplemental insurance, and greater prevalence of certain chronic conditions all contribute to the prescription drug access gap between African American and white seniors. (Center for Studying Health System Change, July 2003)
  
  

Prescription Drugs

• Congress Delivers Help to People with Medicare: An Overview of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act discusses the positive changes the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) makes to Medicare. These changes include the improvement of Medicare health care benefits, the creation of policies that reduce racial and ethnic disparities among beneficiaries, and the reining in of inefficient private Medicare Advantage Plans. (Families USA, October 2008)
• Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Fail Limited-English Proficient Beneficiaries, indicates that companies that contract with the federal government to provide prescription drug coverage to California Medicare beneficiaries are falling short on their obligation to provide service in languages other than English. (National Senior Citizens Law Center, February 2007)
• The Six Million Medicare Beneficiaries Excluded from Prescription Drug Benefits under the Senate Bill Are Disproportionately Minority reports that African American and Latino Medicare beneficiaries are at least twice as likely to be excluded from Medicare drug coverage under the Senate bill because they are dual eligibles. However, a majority of dual eligibles are non-Hispanic whites. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 2003)
• How Do Patterns of Prescription Drug Coverage And Use Differ for White, African American, and Latino Medicare Beneficiaries Under 65 and 65+? provides a snapshot of racial and ethnic differences in Medicare beneficiaries' drug coverage, use, and spending. (Kaiser Family Foundation, July 2003)
• Unequal Access: African-American Medicare Beneficiaries and the Prescription Drug Gap reports that African Americans' lower incomes, lack of supplemental insurance, and greater prevalence of certain chronic conditions all contribute to the prescription drug access gap between African American and white seniors. (Center for Studying Health System Change, July 2003)
  
  

Private Insurance

• Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care: Partnerships between Employers and Health Plans looks at barriers that prevent such partnerships from forming and discusses strategies to encourage increased employer involvement in the future. Recent evidence suggests that employers are only moderately aware of disparities. Educating employers and employees on the causes and consequences of disparities, and promoting the business case for reducing disparities, may elevate disparities reduction as a priority. (Mathematica, July 2009)
• Making Progress on Health Care Disparities assesses the progress made by the National Health Plan Collaborative (NHPC), a collection of health insurance companies and private and public organizations that works to improve the quality of health care for racial and ethnic minorities. The report looks at the NHPC’s activities that were designed to encourage and support health plans’ leadership in their work on disparities. It also assesses plans’ ability to collect data to better identify disparities. (Mathematica, June 2009)
• An Unequal Burden: The True Cost of High-Deductible Health Plans for Communities of Color discusses the full costs associated with high-deductible health plans and why these expenses are disproportionately unaffordable for racial and ethnic minorities. It also examines several myths about health savings accounts (HSAs), which are often coupled with such health plans. (Families USA, September 2008)
• Immigrants and Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance examines why foreign-born workers are less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. The authors conclude that immigrants have a higher probability of working in a firm that does not offer insurance. (A subscription is necessary to view the full article.) (Health Services Research, February 2007) 
• How HSAs Can Drain Your Wallet and Harm Your Health provides scenarios that show how HSAs can adversely affect health care consumers, including information on how these plans can be particularly harmful for racial and ethnic minorities. (Families USA, December 2006)
  
  

The 2004 Presidential Election and Minority Health Policy

• Families USA, with input from the National Association for Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO), developed Presidential Candidates' Health Initiatives: How Will They Affect the Hispanic Community? (click here for Spanish version). This document, aimed at Latino elected officials, raises awareness about specific health policies and suggests the likely impact of these policies on the Hispanic community. The publication is available in English and Spanish. (Families USA and the National Association for Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, October 2004)
• Families USA, in partnership with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, developed Presidential Candidates' Health Initiatives: Implications for African Americans. Released on September 10, 2004 at a forum held during the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Week, the publication raises awareness about specific health policies and suggests the likely impact of these policies on the African American community. (Families USA and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, September 10, 2004)

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