New on the Web 23: November 2003
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 for Studying Health System Change: "Insured Americans Drive Surge in Emergency Department Visits"
Center on an Aging Society: "The Decade Preceding Medicare: Insurance Matters for People with Chronic Conditions"
Commonwealth Fund: "The Growing Share of Uninsured Workers Employed by Large Firms," "Insurance, Access, and Quality of Care among Hispanic Populations: 2003 Chartpack"
Employee Benefit Research Institute: "2003 Health Confidence Survey"
George Washington University Center for Health Services Research and Policy: "Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Estimating the Impact of High Health Center Penetration in Low-Income Communities"
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: "Serving Low-Income Families through Premium Assistance: A Look at Recent State Activity", "State Fiscal Conditions and Health Coverage: An Update on FY2004 and Beyond"
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the National Conference of State Legislatures: "Online Database Covering Medicaid Benefits"
Kaisernetwork.org: "Spotlight on Minority Health and Health Care Disparities"
Oral Health America: "A State of Decay: The Oral Health of Older Americans-An Oral Health America Special Grading Project"
Urban Institute: "Snapshots of America's Families 3: Tracking Change 1997-2002," "Gains in Public Health Insurance Offset Reductions in Employer Coverage among Adults"
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
Visits to hospital emergency departments have increased greatly in recent years, contributing to crowded conditions and ambulance diversions. But contrary to the popular belief that uninsured people are the major cause of emergency department use, insured Americans accounted for most of the 16 percent increase in visits between 1996-97 and 2000-01. Insured Americans Drive Surge in Emergency Department Visits examines trends in emergency and other ambulatory care use, focusing on differences among insurance groups. (October 2003)
From the Center on an Aging Society:
The Decade Preceding Medicare: Insurance Matters for People with Chronic Conditions presents the eleventh in a series of data profiles on chronic and disabling conditions. The data demonstrate that adults with chronic conditions who are uninsured as they approach age 65 are a vulnerable group-they are less healthy and more likely to need health care services than insured adults with chronic conditions who are the same age. They are also less likely to have a regular physician and to use preventive and screening services and more likely to use emergency rooms for medical care. (September 2003)
From The Commonwealth Fund:
A generally unreported trend in recent years is the increasing number of American workers in large firms who lack health coverage. Although large employers are much more likely than small ones to offer health insurance, recent evidence suggests that workers in large firms and their dependents comprise a significant and growing share of the working uninsured. The Growing Share of Uninsured Workers Employed by Large Firms profiles uninsured workers in large firms; compares their characteristics to other groups of uninsured; and assesses health coverage trends in small, mid-sized, and large firms. (October 2003)
Insurance, Access, and Quality of Care among Hispanic Populations: 2003 Chartpack is intended to serve as a quick reference and overview of insurance status, health care access, and quality of care experiences among Hispanic communities in the U.S. The chartpack profiles uninsured rates and insurance instability over time; examines the link between lack of insurance, access to health care, and receipt of preventive health care; and documents the extent to which limited English proficiency undermines patient-provider communication and overall quality of care for Hispanics. (October 2003)
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute:
The 2003 Health Confidence Survey presents the findings of the sixth annual survey of Americans' satisfaction with health care in the U.S. The survey found that, though almost half of Americans are relatively pleased with their health care, they are increasingly concerned about health care costs and health coverage-they are more and more concerned about their ability to get needed treatments and to afford health care. More Americans cite health care as the most critical issue for the nation, and more are dissatisfied with health care costs than in previous years. (September 2003)
From the George Washington University Center for Health Services Research and Policy:
The literature on health disparities suggests that, although the lack of health coverage is the most basic barrier to obtaining health care, improved access to clinically appropriate care is key, particularly for communities of color and low-income groups where the health risks are greatest. Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Estimating the Impact of High Health Center Penetration in Low-Income Communities examines the relationship between health center penetration into medically underserved communities and the reduction of state-level health disparities. (September 2003)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
Policymakers at both the state and federal level have expressed interest in the concept of premium assistance, which entails the use of federal and state funds to subsidize the purchase of employer-sponsored or other private coverage for Medicaid and SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) beneficiaries.
Serving Low-Income Families through Premium Assistance: A Look at Recent State Activityexamines new Bush Administration policies associated with using Medicaid and/or SCHIP funds to promote private insurance options, ways that states have responded to these new policies, and key questions that policymakers and others should consider as they think about premium assistance programs. (October 2003)
State Fiscal Conditions and Health Coverage: An Update on FY2004 and Beyond encompasses three reports on how states are coping with a fourth year of fiscal stress. The reports present the results of the third annual survey of all 50 states, which reveals a far-reaching impact on health coverage for low-income families at a time when enrollment is increasing due to sluggish economic conditions. The reports address such topics as Medicaid spending growth, actions states have taken to control various health care costs, and the falloff in state tax revenue. (September 2003)
One in five Americans lives in a rural area, but the health and economic status of people living in remote rural counties differ substantially from rural residents who live closer to large urban areas. Health Insurance Coverage in Rural America is a chartbook that presents an analysis of the most recent national data on health insurance coverage based on a county's proximity to a large urban area-an important factor that helps determine rural residents' access to economic opportunities and health care services. (September 2003)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the National Conference of State Legislatures:
These two organizations have jointly released a new online database covering Medicaid benefits in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. This comprehensive database includes information about benefits covered by each state; which populations those benefits cover; and the limitations, copayments, and payment rules that apply to the benefits. The database is searchable by Medicaid benefit as well as by state. (October 2003)
From Kaisernetwork.org:
Kaisernetwork.org, the Kaiser Foundation's online news and information service, has recently added a new issue: Spotlight on Minority Health and Health Care Disparities. This feature is designed to provide up-to-date news and information about efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care. It includes the following: a reference library of key publications, organizations, and other resources; key data on the health status of groups of color; links to recent reports; current headlines from the Kaiser Daily Reports; and recent HealthCasts and transcripts of health conferences and events focused on communities of color. (October 2003)
From Oral Health America:
While health care access often varies by state, older Americans almost universally lack private or government-sponsored dental coverage. A State of Decay: The Oral Health of Older Americans-An Oral Health America Special Grading Project provides the first state-by-state assessment of the oral health of older Americans, especially those most in need. The report also reviews Medicaid dental coverage for adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (September 2003)
From the Urban Institute:
Snapshots of America's Families 3: Tracking Change 1997-2002, which presents the first findings from the 2002 round of the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF), shows how American families have changed since 1997. These snapshots paint a detailed portrait of health insurance coverage and use, child well-being, and participation in government programs, as well as a first glimpse of how the sluggish economy is changing the lives of American families. The NSAF sample provides reliable estimates for differences by income, race and ethnicity, age of children, and employment status. (Summer/Fall 2003)
Gains in Public Health Insurance Offset Reductions in Employer Coverage among Adults examines changes in insurance coverage among adults ages 19-64 between 1999 and 2002, with a detailed discussion of changes among low-income adults. It reports that the share of nonelderly adults who were uninsured remained stable between 1999 and 2002 because overall increases in enrollment in public health coverage programs offset reductions in employer coverage. This trend held even among low-income adults, who experienced greater reductions in employer coverage than other adults, although uninsurance rose among low-income adults who were 19-34 years old or in fair or poor health. (September 2003)
Return to New on the Web Contents
