New on the Web 14: October 2002
We've collected information on several new reports and other resources available on the Web that we hope you'll find interesting and useful. Descriptions and links appear below.
Center on an Aging Society: "Prescription Drugs: A Vital Component of Health Care"
Commonwealth Fund: "Medicare+Choice After Five Years: Lessons for Medicare's Future-Findings from Seven Major Cities," "Cultural Competence in Health Care: Emerging Frameworks and Practical Approaches"
Health Affairs: "Medicare versus Private Insurance: Rhetoric and Reality"
Institute of Medicine: "Health Insurance Is a Family Matter"
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: "Medicaid Spending Growth: Results from a 2002 Survey," "Medicaid Enrollment in 50 States: December 2001 Data Update", "Medicaid's Matters for America's Families"
Mathematica Policy Research: "Helping Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries Access Medicaid: Lessons from SCHIP"
Urban Institute: "Five Things Everyone Should Know about SCHIP"
Commonwealth Fund
Cultural Competence in Health Care: Emerging Frameworks and Practical Approaches spotlights a diverse group of health care organizations that are striving to improve access and quality of care for people of color and a growing immigrant population. These organizations are working to dismantle the cultural and communication barriers to good health care through programs that develop minority leadership, promote community involvement, and increase awareness of the social and cultural factors that affect health beliefs and behaviors. (October 2002)
Medicare+Choice After Five Years: Lessons for Medicare's Future-Findings from Seven Major Cities examines the reasons why private health plans, health care providers, and beneficiaries are so widely dissatisfied with the M+C program. To do this, the authors reviewed the M+C program in seven cities that have varying payment rates and local health care structures, as follows: Cleveland, Houston, Long Island, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Tucson. The authors also attempt to understand how the program could be stabilized. (September 2002)
Health Affairs
The public and many policymakers assume that private insurance works better than public programs. Medicare versus Private Insurance: Rhetoric and Reality compares the Medicare program to private insurance and finds that private insurance often suffers by comparison. For example, this 2001 survey demonstrates that Medicare beneficiaries report greater satisfaction with insurance coverage and with their access to care, and they report fewer instances of financial hardship resulting from medical bills. (October 2002)
Institute of Medicine
Health Insurance Is a Family Matter is the third in a series of reports examining the consequences of lacking health coverage. The report looks at the patterns and consequences of having uninsured members within the family and the impact of insurance status on the health of children and pregnant women. To that end, the report addresses the impact that lack of health coverage has on family health, financial stability, and general well-being. (Fall 2002)
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Medicaid Enrollment in 50 States: December 2001 Data Update provides state-by-state enrollment information and identifies national trends from the data. Among the findings of the report was that the rate of Medicaid enrollment grew by 9.8 percent during 2001, rising by 3.3 million people from December 2000 to December 2001. Enrollment grew by 1.6 million (4.9 percent) for the year ending December 2000 and by 1.1 million (3.5 percent) for the year ending December 1999. (October 2002)
Twelve years ago, Congress passed the law requiring that by the end of fiscal year 2002, states would complete a series of incremental steps to ensure all children in families with incomes at or below the federal poverty level would have Medicaid coverage. Medicaid's Matters for America's Families provides a brief description of how Medicaid assists low-income American families with their health coverage, particularly children. It also reports that parents overwhelmingly view Medicaid as a good program. (September 2002)
Medicaid Spending Growth: Results from a 2002 Survey reports the results of a survey of Medicaid officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was undertaken to identify state Medicaid spending trends and how states are responding to these trends and to overall fiscal conditions. Among the survey findings are that a majority of states faced significant budget shortfalls this year, and state rainy day funds are being depleted rapidly while tax revenues are falling. (September 2002)
Mathematica Policy Research
Helping Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries Access Medicaid: Lessons from SCHIP reports on a study that used recent experiences in promoting enrollment of low-income children in SCHIP to examine barriers to Medicaid enrollment for eligible Medicare beneficiaries. One of the main barriers cited is that dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries often do not know about Medicaid or do not think they are eligible for it. The piece also reviews steps that may help remove these barriers. (September 2002)
Urban Institute
"Five Things Everyone Should Know about SCHIP" examines the State Children's Health Insurance Program on its five-year anniversary. The five points discussed are as follows: states have taken advantage of SCHIP's flexibility; SCHIP funds are plentiful to date but may run short; following the enactment of SCHIP, the rate of uninsurance among children has been reduced; SCHIP and Medicaid could cover most uninsured children; and further improvements are needed in both Medicaid and SCHIP. (October 2002)
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