New on the Web 9: May 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.
From the Center for Studying Health System Change: "Prescription Drug Access: Not Just a Medicare Problem"
From the Commonwealth Fund: "Providing Language Interpretation Services in Health Care Settings: Examples from the Field"
From the Commonwealth Fund, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Health Research and Educational Trust: "Erosion of Private Health Insurance Coverage for Retirees: Findings from the 2000 and 2001 Retiree Health and Prescription Drug Coverage Survey"
From the Department of Labor: GovBenefits
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: "Medicaid and State Budgets: An Overview of Five States' Experiences in 2001"
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: "National Survey of Physicians Part I: Doctors on Disparities in Medical Care," "How Private Insurance Works: A Primer"
From the National Conference of State Legislatures: "Medicaid Cost Containment: A Legislator's Tool Kit"
From the Center for Studying Health System Change
Prescription Drug Access: Not Just a Medicare Problem presents the results of the 2000-2001 Community Tracking Study Household Survey. The survey found that 26 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries aged 18-64 couldn't afford to get a prescription filled in the previous year. According to the study, individual cost-control measures-such as copayments, prior-authorization, and mandated generic substitution-do not appear to affect beneficiaries' access to prescription drugs, but when multiple cost-control measures are implemented, beneficiary access to prescription drugs is affected to a much greater extent. (April 2002) More detailed study results can be found in Affording Prescription Drugs: Not Just a Problem for the Elderly.
From the Commonwealth Fund
Providing Language Interpretation Services in Health Care Settings: Examples from the Field presents an assessment of programs working to improve access to interpreter services in health care settings. Fourteen programs and projects were selected for in-depth assessment; programs profiled in this report include those sponsored by state and local governments, managed care organizations, hospitals, community-based organizations, and educators. The report also identifies some of the current funding sources for such services. (May 2002)
From the Commonwealth Fund, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Health Research and Educational Trust
Retiree health benefits are the largest source of supplemental coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, helping fill gaps in Medicare by covering such expenses as prescription drugs and cost-sharing. Erosion of Private Health Insurance Coverage for Retirees: Findings from the 2000 and 2001 Retiree Health and Prescription Drug Coverage Survey profiles health coverage for Medicare-age retirees, including the amount retirees pay for coverage compared to active workers, cost-sharing for prescription drugs, and eligibility requirements for retiree benefits. (April 2002)
From the Department of Labor
GovBenefits is a free, online screening tool that informs consumers about whether they may qualify for some federal programs, including health insurance programs such as SCHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare. This service is confidential-users are not required to enter names, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, or any other identifying information. A user simply answers questions about herself, and GovBenefits returns a list of government benefits she might be able to receive, along with information on how to apply. (May 2002)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured asked state-level researchers and policy experts in Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas to undertake a review of the role of Medicaid in their state budgets. Medicaid and State Budgets: An Overview of Five States' Experiences in 2001 presents an overview of the individual state reports. In it the authors describe their state's Medicaid programs and overall fiscal situations, explain recent trends in Medicaid spending, and identify their state's responses to growing fiscal pressure in their Medicaid budgets. (March 2002)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation
"How Private Insurance Works: A Primer" begins by defining private health coverage. It goes on to examine the structure and operation of private health insurance, including the types of organizations that provide it, how managed care is delivered, and how risk pools and underwriting work. It also describes how private health insurance coverage is regulated under federal and state laws, and it explains how the current nature of private insurance relates to key issues facing federal and state policymakers. (April 2002)
National Survey of Physicians Part I: Doctors on Disparities in Medical Care presents selected findings from this survey of 2,608 physicians. The survey assesses physicians' views on whether the health care system treats patients unfairly based on several characteristics, including racial or ethnic background, sex, sexual orientation, monetary resources, fluency in English, educational status, and whether they have a disability. The survey also examines differences in perception between physicians of different races. (March 2002)
From the National Conference of State Legislatures
Medicaid Cost Containment: A Legislator's Tool Kit, while designed to help state lawmakers ask the right questions when considering whether a given approach is appropriate for their state, may also provide information and insight useful to state advocates. The kit includes a chapter on spending and costs (which points readers to sources of information about state-specific costs and spending and includes summary tables showing which strategies address each of the different factors driving cost increases); a chapter on thinking strategically (which offers advice on how to obtain and analyze state-specific information); and a chapter on 10 cost-cutting strategies that states have used successfully (only one of the strategies was posted on the Web). (March 2002)
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