Publications: 2010
2012 | 2011 | 2010 l 2009 l 2008 l 2007 l 2006 l 2005 l 2004 l 2003 l 2002 l 2001 l 2000 l Before 2000
Publications are free unless otherwise noted.
An Advocate's Guide to the Medicare Coverage Gap Discount Program is a troubleshooting guide for advocates who assist beneficiaries with navigating the new program, including answers to frequently asked questions. 6 pp. (December 2010)
Building an Effective State Exchange offers 15 benchmarks to guide advocates and legislators as they develop the new health care exchanges that are required by the Affordable Care Act. Advocates are free to take this document and adapt it to the needs of their states. 3 pp. (December 2010)
Help in the Doughnut Hole: the Medicare Coverage Gap Discount Program discusses the basics of this program, including the 2010 rebate checks, the 2011 discounts, changes in drug availability, and dispute resolution. 4 pp. (December 2010)
Enrollment Policy Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act outlines the provisions that apply to Medicaid, CHIP, and the exchanges, and those that encourage coordination of enrollment procedures among the three programs. 6 pp. (Updated December 2010)
Grandfathered Plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act discusses health plans that existed on the date that health reform was enacted and are therefore exempt from some provisions of the law. It explains the requirements health plans must meet to maintain grandfathered status and outlines which protections in the health reform law apply to such plans and which do not. 6 pp. (Updated December 2010)
Welcome to the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit for 2011 is an updated illustration that reflects improvements made by the Affordable Care Act that will lessen the amount enrollees will pay when they fall into the "doughnut hole." (November 2010)
The Medicare Drug Benefit: How Much Will You Pay? presents tables that detail the basic benefit, as well as the low-income benefit for those who are and aren't enrolled in Medicaid. 4 pp. (Updated November 2010)
Express Lane Eligibility: What Is It, and How Does It Work? explains how express lane eligibility programs work in light of the 2009 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), and describes options for states in designing their programs. 7pp. (October 2010)
How States Are Making Sure Coverage Is Available to Children notes that, under health reform, insurers are required to accept children regardless of any pre-existing conditions in all group plans and in newly sold individual plans, and it examines what several states are doing to make sure that child-only policies are still available. 7 pp. (October 2010)
Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act: Reframing the Debate addresses concerns about the effect of the Medicaid expansion on state budgets and outlines the many benefits that the Medicaid expansion will bring to states and the uninsured. 4 pp. (October 2010)
Buyer Beware: Unlicensed Insurance Plans Prey on Health Care Consumers reports on actions that states have taken against American Trade Association, Serve America Assurance, and Smart Data Solutions. It also discusses the sale of phony insurance more generally, weaknesses in oversight of association health plans, and new protections under the Affordable Care Act. 11 pp. (October 2010)
In Perspective: Better Safety and Quality for Seniors and People with Disabilities discusses the Elder Justice Act, the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act, and the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act, three sections in the Affordable Care Act that will bring historic improvements to the quality and safety of long-term care and result in the most comprehensive federal effort ever to fight elder abuse. 3 pp. (October 2010)
Implementing Health Insurance Exchanges: A Guide to State Activities and Choices describes the requirements in the Affordable Care Act that exchanges must meet and outlines key questions that states and consumer advocates will need to consider as the exchanges are designed. 30 pp. (October 2010)
Families USA had prepared a series of fact sheets on the Patients' Bill of Rights and other consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act that took effect on September 23. (September 2010)
Lower Costs, Better Care: Medicare Cost Savings in the Affordable Care Act discusses how the Affordable Care Act will make Medicare work more efficiently by improving the way providers deliver care, modernizing how Medicare pays for services, and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the system. These changes will also reduce costs, make the program more sustainable, and allow for better benefits for those who depend on Medicare. 10 pp. | Talking Points (September 2010)
Health Reform Provisions that Expand Access to Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) briefly outlines key provisions, including the State Balancing Incentive Payments Program, the Community First Choice Option, and Changes to the Medicaid 1915(i) option. 2 pp. (September 2010)
How Health Reform Helps Communities of Color is a series of state-based fact sheets that discuss how provisions in the Affordable Care Act--both those for the general public and those specifically designed to eliminate health disparities--help communities of color in each state. 7 pp. (September-October 2010)
Lower Taxes, Lower Premiums: The New Health Insurance Tax Credit examines how this tax credit will help both insured and uninsured Americans. It provides data on the number of people eligible, the total dollars available, and on how it will help working families in particular. | State Reports (September 2010)
Sharing Across the States: Strategies for Public Education is a guide for state advocates about how to educate the public about the new health care law. This guide discusses community forums and Train-the-Trainer programs and gives examples of how state groups across the country have used these public education models to get information to their communities. 16 pp. (September 2010)
How Health Reform Helps . . . is a series of fact sheets that highlight how the new health reform law will help America's communities of color by expanding coverage, increasing funding for community health centers, and providing grants for workforce diversity. 4 pp. (September 2010) African Americans l American Indians and Native Alaskans l Asian Americans l Latinos l Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders
Expanding Coverage for Recent Immigrants: CHIPRA Gives States New Options examines the provision that lifts the "five year bar" for legally residing immigrant children and pregnant women. It discusses how states can take advantage of this new option to expand coverage—and why they should. 11 pp. (updated August 2010)
Designing a Consumer Health Assistance Program discusses these programs and how health reform will dramatically expand the assistance they provide. It reviews key considerations to keep in mind when designing such programs, including grants and other funding, function, scope, location, staffing, training, and outreach. 29 pp. (August 2010)
A Helping Hand for Small Businesses: Health Insurance Tax Credits analyzes the health reform provision that provides tax credits to small employers to help them buy health coverage for their workers. This report, which was commissioned along with Small Business Majority, provides national and state-level data on the number of small businesses eligible for the credit in 2010, as well as the number eligible for the maximum tax credit. 10 pp. (July 2010)
Five Good Reasons Why States Shouldn't Cut Home- and Community-Based Services in Medicaid outlines why cutting home- and community-based services in Medicaid is a bad idea for states that are facing budget shortfalls. | Sources 6 pp. (July 2010)
Health Reform: New Opportunities for States to Invest in Home- and Community-Based Services is a series of state-specific fact sheets that explore the new options for states to expand home- and community-based services through the health reform law and the reasons why expanding this type of services is a good idea. 7 pp. (Summer 2010)
Covering Pregnant Women: CHIPRA Offers a New Option discusses the new option that states have to provide pregnant women with comprehensive health care during pregnancy and for a limited postpartum period, and a simple administrative way to do so. 11 pp. (July 2010)
How Health Reform Helps Low-Income Children discusses how health reform sustains Medicaid and CHIP funding, enhances enrollment in the programs, further expands children's coverage, and increases their health care benefits. 4 pp. (July 2010)
Helping People with Medicare discusses how health reform will help make Medicare more affordable for seniors and people with disabilities, improve health care quality for enrollees, and make the program more financially secure. 5 pp. (June 2010)
Streamlining Citizenship Documentation: States Can Make Documenting Citizenship and Identity Easier discusses several important changes that the CHIP Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) made to the citizenship documentation requirement that make it less burdensome for consumers and states. 11 pp. (June 2010)
COBRA Assistance: A Lifeline for America’s Unemployed briefly explains the urgency of extending the COBRA subsidy until the end of the year. Enacted as part of the economic stimulus legislation, this subsidy pays 65 percent of the cost of COBRA continuation coverage for unemployed families and individuals. Read two stories about Americans who have depended on the COBRA subsidy. 2 pp. (May 2010)
Health Coverage for Young Adults: Health Reform Will Soon Allow You to Stay on Your Parent's Health Plan is a fact sheet aimed at young adults (and their parents) that is designed to answer important questions about this new opportunity to keep or obtain health coverage for young adults up to age 26. 6 pp. (May 2010)
Long-Term Services: Provisions in the New Health Reform Law outlines key provisions that expand coverage, including the Community First Choice Option, the State Balancing Incentives Payment Program, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Program, and extending the Money Follows the Person Medicaid demonstration project. 10 pp. (May 2010)
Moving toward Health Equity: Health Reform Creates a Foundation for Eliminating Disparities summarizes provisions that will expand access to care through Medicaid and community health centers, and that address health disparities by promoting language access, increasing workforce diversity, and reauthorizing the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. 7 pp. (May 2010)
Health Reform: Help for Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions discusses how, under health reform, no one will be denied coverage, charged a higher premium, or sold a policy that excludes coverage of essential benefits because of pre-existing conditions. The report presents the number of Americans with diagnosed pre-existing conditions who, absent reform, would be at risk of being denied coverage in the individual insurance market. It breaks down this number by age, income, and race. 25 pp. | State Reports (May 2010)
Health Reform: Help for American Indians and Alaska Natives discusses changes made by the new health reform law, including the overdue reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and explains how these changes will benefit these two groups. 9 pp. (May 2010)
Early Medicaid Expansions under Health Reform discusses how states can expand their Medicaid programs under a state plan amendment prior to 2014—and why they should. 4 pp. (May 2010)
Help Is on the Way: 12 Reasons to Embrace Health Reform discusses key improvements in the new health reform law, including clamping down on insurance company abuses, offering tax credits to small businesses, expanding Medicaid, and improving Medicare. 8 pp. (May 2010)
Building Blocks of Health Reform: The Social Security and Medicare Examples To those who say the newly enacted health reform legislation does too little or is too incremental, take a look at the history of Social Security and Medicare. l Building Blocks with a focus on minority seniors. 2 pp. (May 2010)
Efforts to Halt Health Reform: Playing Politics with Our Health counters the misinformation that is being spread by opponents of reform, particularly regarding the individual responsibility requirement, and presents the facts about their efforts to block reform. 2 pp. (April 2010)
The First 90 Days: A State Advocate's To-Do List provides an overview of the provisions to be implemented in the first 90 days, including coverage for uninsured people with pre-existing conditions, grants for consumer assistance offices, and Medicaid and CHIP maintenance of effort requirements. | pdf version 8 pp. (April 2010)
Helping People with Long-Term Health Care Needs: Improving Access to Home- and Community-Based Services in Medicaid discusses how health reform gives states incentives to strengthen home- and community-based services in Medicaid. 4 pp. (Updated April 2010)
Helping People with Long-Term Health Care Needs: An Insurance Program to Help People Afford Long-Term Services and Supports discusses the Community Living Assistance for Services and Supports (CLASS) program, a new, voluntary, public long-term services insurance program that is part of health reform. 2 pp. (Updated April 2010)
A Summary of the New Health Reform Law describes the major changes in health coverage that health reform will bring, including Medicaid and CHIP coverage, the affordability provisions, the exchanges, individual and employer responsibility requirements, improvements in private market coverage, and changes to Medicare and long-term services. 21 pp. (April 2010)
What Will the New Health Reform Law Do in the First Year? discusses how health reform will help people with pre-existing conditions, young adults, people on Medicare, small businesses, community health centers, and others in its first year. 3 pp. (April 2010)
Maintenance of Effort Requirements under Health Reform discusses how health reform changes the maintenance of effort requirements that are already in place for state Medicaid and CHIP programs. 2 pp. (March 2010)
Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Key Health Equity Provisions discusses how health reform will improve language access and cultural competence, support community health centers, strengthen the federal Office of Minority Health, increase workforce diversity, and reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. 5 pp. (March 2010)
Health Coverage in the States: How Will Health Reform Help? discusses the major gaps in each state's health coverage system and how health reform will address these gaps and help state residents, including the insured, the uninsured, people in Medicare, and small businesses. 7 pp. (March 2010)
The Dangers of Defeat: The Cost of Failure to Pass Health Reform analyzes the many consequences for America's families and businesses if health reform is—or is not—enacted. It examines what will happen to health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket health care costs, and businesses struggling to provide coverage to workers. 11 pp. (March 2010)
Lives on the Line: The Deadly Consequences of Delaying Health Reform examines what would happen if Congress fails to pass health reform. Specifically, it provides national and state-level estimates of the number of deaths that would occur due to lack of health coverage if reform doesn't pass. It also quantifies how many Americans died due to lack of health coverage since the last effort to pass reform in 1994. 13 pp. Print copies $5.00 (March 2010)
Rate Review: Holding Health Plans Accountable for Your Premium Dollars discusses common problems with the process of reviewing health insurance premium rates, the lessons learned from state rate review procedures, and how health reform will address these problems. 11 pp. (March 2010)
Improving Language Access: CHIPRA Provides Increased Funding for Language Services discusses the increased funding for language assistance services (interpretation and translation) and how states cover these services for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who are limited English proficient, or LEP. 7 pp. (February 2010)
Making the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) Work: How States Can Help People with Medicare examines how this legislation improves the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, making Medicare more affordable for low-income beneficiaries. It includes tips for advocates. 12 pp. (February 2010)
Medical Loss Ratios: Making Sure Premium Dollars Go to Health Care—Not Profits discusses medical loss ratios, state requirements regarding medical loss ratios, and why medical loss ratio requirements are so important for protecting consumers. 8 pp. (February 2010)
States in Need: Congress Should Extend Temporary Increase in Medicaid Funding examines why states continue to need this federal help. It includes state-specific data on the federal Medicaid support in the President's budget and on the many positive economic impacts of extending this fiscal relief. 15 pp. (February 2010)
Dental and Mental Health: Benefit Improvements in CHIPRA describes the law's new benefit provisions, explains what states must do to comply with the law, and discusses the new options that states have to expand access to dental and mental health care for low-income children. 8 pp. (January 2010)
