New on the Web 43 (March 2008)
From the California Health Care Foundation: “Haves and Have-Nots: A Look at Children’s Use of Dental Care in California”
From the Center for Studying Health System Change: “Relief, Restoration, and Reform,” “State Prescription Drug Price Web Sites: How Useful to Consumers”
From the Commonwealth Fund: “Collecting Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data: A How-to Guide”
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute: “ERISA Pre-emption: Implications for Health Reform and Coverage”
From Express Scripts: “Geographic Variation Trends in Prescription Use: 2000 to 2006”
From the Foundation of Child Development: “Racial-Ethnic Inequality in Child Well-Being from 1985-2004: Gaps Narrowing, but Persist”
From Health Affairs: “A Progress Report on State Health Access Reform,” “Financial Burden of Health Care, 2001-2004”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “How Non-Group Health Coverage Varies with Income,” “Health Coverage for Children and Families in Medicaid and SCHIP: State Efforts Face New Hurdles”
From Pediatrics: “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Medical and Dental Health, Access to Care, and Use of Services in US Children”
From The California Health Care Foundation
Haves and Have-Nots: A Look at Children’s Use of Dental Care in California found that uninsured children were least likely to have had a recent dental visit and most likely to have never visited a dentist. Denti-Cal (a part of California’s Medicaid program) beneficiaries were least likely to have ever seen a dentist compared to those with other types of insurance. The report suggests a number of public health initiatives to help these children get the dental care they need, such as increasing oral health outreach and education. (February 2008)
From The Center for Studying Health System Change
Relief, Restoration, and Reform: Economic Upturn Yields Modest and Uneven Health Returns reports that recent gains in health coverage, such as increased numbers of low-income adults obtaining coverage, face challenges as the economy continues its downturn. State and local governments will likely cut public health programs as they face recessions. (January 2008)
State Prescription Drug Price Web Sites: How Useful to Consumers? examines the current push to make retail pharmacy prices accessible to consumers, which is part of a much broader movement to increase price transparency throughout the health care sector. To aid consumers in comparing prescription drug costs, many states have launched Web sites to publish drug prices offered by local retail pharmacies. This study found that relying on Medicaid data resulted in extensive gaps in available price information and hampered the effectiveness of state drug price-comparison web sites. (February 2008)
From The Commonwealth Fund
Collecting Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data: A How-to Guide provides information for hospitals, health systems, community health centers, and health plans on how to collect this information from patients. The toolkit guides users through each step of the collection process, making suggestions for formatting and ways to explain its importance to patients. (January 2008)
From The Employee Benefit Research Institute
ERISA Pre-emption: Implications for Health Reform and Coverage provides an overview of state and local attempts at comprehensive health insurance reform and finds that ERISA limits states’ ability to carry out these reforms. For example, ERISA prevents states from establishing minimum levels of coverage for employer-based plans and limits their ability to fund health insurance subsidies for low-income adults through a tax. (February 2008)
From Express Scripts
Geographic Variation Trends in Prescription Use: 2000-2006 provides state-specific information for prescription use for seven major therapy classes: antihyperlipidemics (for high cholesterol), antidiabetics, antihypertensives (for high blood pressure), gastrointestinal (for stomach and intestinal problems), antidepressants, analgesics/anti-inflammatories (painkillers), and estrogen. The study found a dramatic increase in the use of these drugs, especially in Southern states, and the cost to U.S. plan sponsors and their members was more than $12 billion. (January 2008)
From The Foundation for Child Development
Racial-Ethnic Inequality in Child Well-Being from 1985-2004: Gaps Narrowing, but Persist reports that, since 1985, racial and ethnic disparities in children’s health have decreased, which is largely due to behavioral changes such as decreases in violent crime and drug use, and increases in family income. Although these disparities have improved, the overall well-being of children in the U.S. is far below that of our international peers. (January 2008)
From Health Affairs
A Progress Report on State Health Access Reform describes specific state advances in health coverage, including expansions for uninsured children and adults, regulating the individual insurance market, and employer mandates. However, the findings do not predict how long these changes will last. (January 2008)
Financial Burden of Health Care, 2001-2004 presents an analysis of data that shows an increase in out-of-pocket health care cost as incomes remain the same, especially for the privately insured. For a growing number of families, private Insurance no longer provides adequate financial protection. (January 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation
How Non-Group Health Coverage Varies with Income examines how often people at different income levels buy individual health coverage when they cannot obtain coverage through their jobs or through public programs. It found that few people at lower incomes buy individual coverage and that, as income increases, coverage rates increase as well. (February 2008)
Health Coverage for Children and Families in Medicaid and SCHIP: State Efforts Face New Hurdles reports that, between July 2006 and January 2008, nearly two-thirds of states expanded access in these public programs. The report contains state-specific charts and tables that show changes in health coverage, income thresholds for parents applying for Medicaid, and the way that the August 2007 CMS directive affected states. (January 2008)
From Pediatrics
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Medical and Dental Health, Access to Care, and Use of Services in US Children found that minority children experience multiple disparities in these areas of health care, and certain disparities were particularly marked for specific racial/ethnic groups. For example, asthma and speech problems are particularly problematic for African Americans, and unmet medical and dental needs are more common for Native Americans. (January 2008)
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