New on the Web 66 (March 2010)
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Private Health Coverage Unstable for Middle Class”
From Health Affairs: “Health Spending Projections through 2019: The Recession’s Impact Continues”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: “CHIP Tips: Children’s Oral Health Benefits”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Medicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: Prices for Brand-Name Drugs in the Coverage Gap”
From Mathematica: “Using Professionally Trained Interpreters to Increase Patient/Provider Satisfaction: Does It Work?”
From the National Center for Health Statistics: “Access to and Utilization of Medical Care for Young Adults Aged 20-29 Years: United States, 2008”
From the National Partnership for Women and Families: “Improving Health Care for Women and Families: The Top Ten Best Kept Secrets about Health Insurance Reform and Why Congress Should Pass It without Delay”
From the Pew Center on the States: “The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children”
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Academy Health: “Implementing State Health Reform: Lessons for Policymakers”
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute: “The Cost of Failure to Enact Health Reform: 2010-2020”
From the Urban Institute: “The Cost of Uncompensated Care with and without Health Reform,” “The Biggest Losers, Health Edition: Who Would Be Hurt the Most by a Failure to Enact Comprehensive Reforms?”
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Private Health Coverage Unstable for Middle Class examines Census data to show how families have been affected by insurance loss. One-quarter of privately insured, middle-class families had at least one member who lost coverage between 2004 and 2007. These numbers are likely higher today in light of the recession and high rates of unemployment. (March 2010)
From Health Affairs:
Health Spending Projections through 2019: The Recession’s Impact Continues predicts that the recession, high unemployment, changing demographics, and baby boomers aging into Medicare are some of the factors that are expected to influence health spending from 2009-2019. Public spending for hospital, physician, and clinical services are projected to account for more than half of all U.S. health care spending by 2012. (February 2010) Subscription Required
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
CHIP Tips: Children’s Oral Health Benefits looks at the improvements that the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) has made in oral health for kids. Tooth decay is still the single most common chronic disease among children. Under CHIPRA, all CHIP programs are required to provide comprehensive dental benefits, as well as other improvements, including better access to benefit and provider information. (March 2010)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
Medicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: Prices for Brand-Name Drugs in the Coverage Gap documents prices for the 10 most commonly used brand-name drugs. Between 2009 and 2010, monthly prices in the “doughnut hole” increased by 5 percent or more for half of the top 10 drugs. As drug prices continue to rise, more beneficiaries will hit the doughnut hole, making it increasingly difficult for them to afford their medications. (March 2010)
From Mathematica:
Using Professionally Trained Interpreters to Increase Patient/Provider Satisfaction: Does It Work? examines how using interpreters in hospital emergency departments affects cost-effectiveness of services and patient and provider satisfaction levels. Both providers and patients were significantly more satisfied when using a professional interpreter versus the hospital’s traditional language services. (February 2010)
From the National Center for Health Statistics:
Access to and Utilization of Medical Care for Young Adults Aged 20-29 Years: United States, 2008 discusses the continued trend of young adults lacking health coverage. In 2008, young adults were almost twice as likely as other adults to lack health coverage. While this age group is often referred to as the “young invincibles,” young adulthood is a high-risk period for unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, and injuries. (February 2010)
From the National Partnership for Women and Families:
Improving Health Care for Women and Families: The Top Ten Best Kept Secrets about Health Insurance Reform and Why Congress Should Pass It without Delay outlines a number of ways that health reform will benefit women and families, including making maternity care and pediatric services mandatory, as well as increasing access to family planning services. Health reform will also increase the health care workforce and promote coordination of care. (February 2010)
From the Pew Center on the States:
The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children finds that two-thirds of states are doing a poor job of ensuring that low-income children receive dental care. An estimated 17 million low-income children go without dental care each year. It notes the serious consequences of poor dental health among children and urges states to implement solutions such as community water fluoridation, Medicaid improvements that motivate dentists to treat low-income kids, and school-based sealant programs. (February 2010)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Academy Health:
Implementing State Health Reform: Lessons for Policymakers draws on the experiences of five states that have implemented major reforms to provide insights into the operational aspects of reform and share key lessons for state policy makers. The states, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin, represent a broad range of initiatives implemented over the last few years. (March 2010)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute:
The Cost of Failure to Enact Health Reform: 2010-2020 looks at the impact that failing to pass health reform would have on the uninsured, health care costs, and job-based coverage. Without reform, the percentage of people who are uninsured will increase, job-based coverage will continue to deteriorate, spending on public programs will balloon, and out-of-pocket costs could increase by more than 35 percent. (February 2010)
From the Urban Institute:
The Cost of Uncompensated Care with and without Health Reform shows that spending on uncompensated care will decrease if reform passes, and if reform fails, the number of uninsured and the cost of uncompensated care would increase considerably. Without reform, state and local governments will bear much of the higher costs, and these increases would be devastating to state budgets. (March 2010)
The Biggest Losers Health Edition: Who Would Be Hurt the Most by a Failure to Enact Comprehensive Reforms? lists several groups, including the 13.1 million self-employed people, and the 47.8 million people who are employed by firms of fewer than 100 workers. Without reform, health care costs will continue to grow faster than incomes, and more and more people will be unable to afford coverage, worsening the situation for these groups and others. (February 2010)
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