New on the Web 47 (July 2008)
From the Center for Studying Health System Change: “Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007”
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Facing Deficits, Many States Are Imposing Cuts That Hurt Vulnerable Residents”
From the Centers for Disease Control: “Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2007”
From the Child Health Insurance Research Initiative (CHIRI): “Do SCHIP Enrollees Stay Insured?”
From Community Catalyst: “The Opportunity for National Health Reform in 2009”
From the Government Accountability Office: “Medicare Advantage Organizations: Actual Expenses and Profits Compared to Projections for 2005”
From Health Affairs: “Public and Private Health Insurance: Stacking Up the Costs”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Ask the Experts: High-Risk Pools,” “Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida,” “Moving Away from Employer-Based Coverage: Don't Forget Public Opinion”
From the National Council of La Raza: “A Burden No Child Should Bear: How the Health Coverage System Is Failing Latino Children”
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
According to Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007, the number and proportion of Americans that reported going without or delaying needed medical care increased sharply between 2003 and 2007. One in five Americans—59 million people—reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in 2007, up from one in seven—36 million people—in 2003. Cost of care was an often-cited obstacle, as were increasing rates of health system barriers, such as health plan prior-authorization requirements. (June 2008)
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Facing Deficits, Many States Are Imposing Cuts That Hurt Vulnerable Residents highlights the areas that states are targeting for cuts due to budget constraints. At least 13 states have implemented or are considering cuts that will affect low-income children’s or families’ eligibility for health insurance or that will reduce their access to health care services. (July 2008)
From the Centers for Disease Control:
Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2007 finds that lack of health coverage was greatest in the South and West, with 30 percent of adults under age 65 and 18 percent of children lacking coverage. The brief also provides state-specific estimates for the uninsured and estimates for those enrolled in high-deductible health plans. (June 2008).
From the Child Health Insurance Research Initiative (CHIRI):
Do SCHIP Enrollees Stay Insured? finds that more than three-quarters of SCHIP enrollees were publicly insured at least one year after enrollment, while some SCHIP enrollees (4-15 percent) obtained private coverage after leaving SCHIP. SCHIP retention rates were higher in states that used simplified renewal policies that automatically reenrolled children in SCHIP unless a change in family circumstance had occurred that disqualified them. (May 2008)
From Community Catalyst:
The Opportunity for National Health Reform in 2009 is a PowerPoint presentation that provides a broad overview of the current health care environment, a history of prior reform efforts, and possible scenarios for the future. The presentation focuses on building the capacity of state consumer advocates to influence the national effort, facilitating state advocacy group participation in policy and design and implementation, promoting federal policy that supports state programs, and working to protect vulnerable populations. (July 2008)
Click on the orange box labeled “The Opportunity for National Health Reform in 2009”
From the Government Accountability Office:
Medicare Advantage Organizations: Actual Expenses and Profits Compared to Projections for 2005 reports that Medicare Advantage plans, on average, projected spending 90.2 percent of total revenue on medical services but actually spent 85.7 percent. This resulted in an extra $1.14 billion in profits in 2005. (June 2008)
From Health Affairs:
Public and Private Health Insurance: Stacking up the Costs examines different ways of providing health insurance to families with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The brief finds that total medical spending is much lower when coverage is provided through Medicaid or CHIP than it is when coverage is provided by private insurance because out-of-pocket spending is much lower. (June 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
Ask the Experts: High-Risk Pools is a webcast in which panelists discuss how high-risk pools work, including their funding, the benefits they provide, and the premiums that are charged to enrollees. Panelists also discussed how high-risk pools are a factor in helping stabilize the individual insurance market, as well as what role they might play in a reformed health care system. (July 2008)
Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida examines the pocketbook problems facing people in Ohio and Florida. The surveys take an in-depth look at the impact of medical bills on family finances and health care, and they provide insight into the ways that health care costs affect people's daily decisions. (July 2008)
Moving Away from Employer-Based Coverage: Don't Forget Public Opinion reports that between 63 and 81 percent of people said that eliminating employer-based insurance and having to buy insurance on their own would make their current financial situation worse. There were no meaningful differences by party affiliation—party identification was not a good predictor of how a person answered the question. The article further discusses how the public and voters feel about undergoing such a large change. (June 2008)
From the National Council of La Raza:
A Burden No Child Should Bear: How the Health Coverage System Is Failing Latino Children highlights Latino children’s access to common forms of coverage and the different factors that may affect their ability to obtain insurance and care. Disparities in health coverage put Latino children at a disadvantage from a young age, and the effects of these disparities can persist throughout their lives. (July 2008)
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