New on the Web 36 (March 2007)
From the Access to Benefits Coalition and the National Council on Aging: “Strategies to Improve the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy”
From Health Affairs: “National Health Spending in 2005: The Slowdown Continues”
From Health Services Research: “Immigrants and Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: “Aging out of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT): Issues for Young Adults with Disabilities,” “Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources,” “New Resources Related to Children’s Coverage and the Reauthorization of SCHIP”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Insurance Premium Cost-Sharing and Coverage Take-Up,” “Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care,” “Women’s Health Insurance Coverage”
From Pediatrics: “Low-Income Uninsured Children with Special Health Care Needs: Why Aren’t They Enrolled in Public Health Insurance Programs?”
From State Coverage Initiatives and AcademyHealth: “State of the States: Building Hope and Raising Expectations”
From the Access to Benefits Coalition and the National Council on Aging
The Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that at least 75 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries who do not have any prescription drug coverage are eligible for the Low-Income Subsidy. The Next Steps: Strategies to Improve the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy identifies recommended legislative, administrative, and regulatory reforms that should be made to the Low-Income Subsidy to improve access to the program for seniors and people with disabilities with limited means. (January 2007)
From Health Affairs
National Health Spending in 2005: The Slowdown Continues outlines the growth of health care spending in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). It concludes that prescription drug expenditures drove the increase in spending in 2005 because hospital, physician, and clinical services grew at similar rates as they did in 2004. (A subscription is necessary to view the full article.) (January 2007)
From Health Services Research
Immigrants and Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance examines why foreign-born workers are less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. The authors conclude that immigrants have a higher probability of working in a firm that does not offer insurance. (A subscription is necessary to view the full article.) (February 2007)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Aging out of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT): Issues for Young Adults with Disabilities discusses the challenges and implications for young people with disabilities when they become adults and lose their EPSDT benefits. It also examines the effects of recent changes to the Deficit Reduction Act that increase states’ power to aid individuals with disabilities. (January 2007)
Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources explains the continued increase in the number of uninsured Americans and examines how federal programs have struggled to stem these increases. (January 2007)
The Kaiser Family Foundation has recently posted several new resources related to children’s coverage and the reauthorization of SCHIP.
Selected resources include the following:
From the Kaiser Family Foundation
Health Insurance Coverage of Women Ages 18 to 64, by State, 2004-2005 provides statistics on insurance for all women, including low-income women. In addition, Women’s Health Insurance Coverage describes the various sources of insurance for women and examines how being uninsured affects women. (February 2007)
One of the many reasons an individual may be uninsured is that she or he decides that an employer’s offer of health insurance is too expensive. Insurance Premium Cost-Sharing and Coverage Take-Up looks at how the take-up rate for workers within firms varies with the level of premium contributions in those firms. (February 2007)
Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care serves as a quick reference source on the health, health insurance coverage, access, and quality of health care of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The report highlights data that show whether health care disparities are narrowing, widening, or persisting for specific racial and ethnic groups and presents newly collected data for people who identify with more than one group. (January 2007)
From Pediatrics
Many eligible children are not enrolled in public insurance programs. Low-Income Uninsured Children with Special Health Care Needs: Why Aren’t They Enrolled in Public Health Insurance Programs? concludes that parents’ lack of information about the programs and negative perceptions of the application process are two primary reasons why eligible children are not being enrolled. (A subscription is necessary to view the full article.) (January 2007)
From State Coverage Initiatives and Academy Health
State of the States: Building Hope and Raising Expectations reports that state leaders are increasingly willing to address the rising number of uninsured Americans and are investing in efforts to expand coverage. It outlines the specific developments in a few key states, and it identifies trends that many new state plans have in common. (January 2007)
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