New on the Web January 2012
From the Alliance for Health Reform: “Integrating Care for Dual Eligibles: What Do Consumers Want?”
From the American Journal of Managed Care and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “Collection of Language Data and Services Provided by Health Plans”
From the Center for Studying Health System Change and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “Americans’ Access to Prescriptions Drugs Stabilizes, 2007-2010,” “Medical Bill Problems Steady for U.S. Families, 2007-2010”
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI): “Spending Adjustments Made by Older Americans to Save Money”
From Health Affairs: “Medicaid Expansion under Health Reform May Increase Service Use and Improve Access for Low-Income Adults with Diabetes”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Urban Institute: “Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Medicaid’s Role for Women across the Lifespan: Current Issues and the Impact of the Affordable Care Act,” “Women’s Health Insurance Coverage”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and the California Endowment: “Health Reform Hits Main Street: Spanish Version”
From the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “Building a Relationship between Medicaid, the Exchange, and the Individual Insurance Market,” “Federally-Facilitated Exchanges and the Continuum of State Options”
From the Alliance for Health Reform:
Integrating Care for Dual Eligibles: What Do Consumers Want? answers the following questions related to the 9 million people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid: How do the two programs coordinate payment and care? What do consumers think about fee-for-service and special needs plans? And what can policy makers learn about program design from the attitudes of consumers? (December 2011)
From the American Journal of Managed Care and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
Collection of Language Data and Services Provided by Health Plans describes how health plans collect and use language data and what types of language access services they provide. It also covers recent progress that health plans have made to improve the availability of health care services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. (December 2011)
From the Center for Studying Health System Change and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
Americans’ Access to Prescriptions Drugs Stabilizes, 2007-2010 explains that, despite the weak economy and high uninsurance rates, reported difficulty affording prescription drugs remained level between 2007 and 2010. This trend may be a byproduct of fewer visits to the doctor because of the weak economy and therefore fewer prescriptions being filled. (December 2011)
Medical Bill Problems Steady for U.S. Families, 2007-2010 finds that the proportion of families reporting problems paying medical bills in 2010 is about the same as it was in 2007, which may be a byproduct of people getting less medical care because of losing jobs or health insurance. However, the proportion of families facing these difficulties in 2010 is dramatically higher than it was in 2003. (December 2011)
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI):
Spending Adjustments Made by Older Americans to Save Money examines the percentage of older Americans that have made changes in prescription drugs or skipped doctor appointments to save money. It finds that one in five adults over age 50 has adopted these spending cuts involuntarily. (January 2012)
From Health Affairs:
Medicaid Expansion under Health Reform May Increase Service Use and Improve Access for Low-Income Adults with Diabetes explains that Medicaid’s role as a primary financer of diabetes care will grow in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act expands eligibility for low-income people. These people will likely enter the program with unmet needs, and Medicaid coverage will likely result in improved access to and use of health care. This may have implications for Medicaid coverage of other chronic conditions. (January 2012)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Urban Institute:
Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010 notes a severe decline in job-based coverage during this time period. Public coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has offset some loss of coverage, but the overall uninsurance rate has risen. (December 2011)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
Medicaid’s Role for Women across the Lifespan: Current Issues and the Impact of the Affordable Care Act discusses the importance of Medicaid for the 21 million women that it covers. With Medicaid, low-income women have access to reproductive health care, care for chronic conditions and disabilities, and long-term services. (January 2012)
Women’s Health Insurance Coverage describes the different sources of health insurance for women and discusses how the Affordable Care Act will help the 20 percent of women ages 18 to 64 who are uninsured. (December 2011)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and the California Endowment:
Health Reform Hits Main Street: Spanish Version is a translation of the popular animation that explains the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It is designed to inform and educate the millions of Spanish speakers who will be affected by the health care law. (January 2012)
From the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
Building a Relationship between Medicaid, the Exchange, and the Individual Insurance Market focuses on the following key areas where states can focus their efforts to promote continuity of coverage: establishing a joint strategy to align health plan policies across markets, aligning the eligibility determination and redetermination process, and coordinating benefit design across multiple markets. (January 2012)
Federally-Facilitated Exchanges and the Continuum of State Options reviews how the core functions of an exchange will work depending on where it falls on the continuum from entirely state-based to entirely federally operated. It also discusses the implications for states as they choose exchange formats as interim or permanent solutions. (December 2011)
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