Special Session Kicks Health Safety Net Again, But It Limps Along
According to the revised budget, health and human service programs were to take a $293 million hit, but that figure understated the significance of the cuts. First, some Medicaid reductions won’t be effective until March 1 and so only provide 3 months worth of savings in 2008-09. However, these cuts will apply to all of 2009-10 as a jump-start on even deeper cuts to be considered during this spring’s regular session. The revised budget was also chock full of creative math. According to bill language, AHCA’s budget would supposedly increase by $48 million. But that will ONLY happen if hospitals raise more local funds to draw down federal matching dollars and through a new assessment on nursing homes. Reductions in services extended to a wide range of areas. Impacted programs and services included health departments, prescription drug access, nursing home diversion programs, healthy start coalitions, AIDS patient assistance and more. Because Florida already endured Medicaid cuts in 2007 and 2008, advocates initially hoped that Medicaid would not be eroded further. That hope was based on the fact that a proposed increase in federal Medicaid funding is included in the economic stimulus package pending in Congress. Unfortunately, additional language tucked into our revised budget blocks the use of any additional federal Medicaid dollars to restore cuts to programs and services (except for hospitals) in 2008-09. Rather, the Legislature directed that the money be used to replace State dollars invested in the parts of Medicaid that weren’t cut. So resources intended to save Medicaid could be used for completely unrelated purposes, at least until July 1. As a result, in addition to not helping save Medicaid, the infusion could further undermine it, since the FMAP increase is only temporary. The hope that Medicaid can avoid further cuts and in fact be fully restored will be resurrected for the 2009-10 budget process, however. On January 22, Florida CHAIN wrote to Governor Crist, respectfully urging him to veto Section 16 of Senate Bill 2-A, acting on our strong belief that this veto would prevent short-term harm to the vulnerable Floridians who rely on Medicaid and Medicaid-funded providers as well as pre-empt a longer-term threat to Medicaid and Medicaid recipients that it sets in motion. Click here to read the letter sent by Florida CHAIN. In the final step in the process, Governor Crist vetoed a total of $364 million worth of budget cuts on January 27th, including $23 million related to health and human services. His action restored Medicaid-funded services for people with developmental disabilities as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment for children and adults. The Governor also reversed a cut to Children’s Medical Services. Other reductions remained intact.
Children need health care coverage now more than ever to stabilize families who struggle daily in these bad economic times. H.R.2 would provide for coverage for an additional 82,000 Florida kids in 2009 alone, and that number excludes children who may become eligible due to policy changes, such as extending coverage to legal immigrant children. Important Points:
CALL TO ACTION: Contact U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Senator Mel Martinez and urge them to vote YES on the current SCHIP legislation to support Florida’s children. Senator Mel Martinez Contact Information: email: Click Here Washington Office: (202) 224-3041 Senator Bill Nelson Contact Information: email: Click Here Washington Office: (202) 224-5274 Linda Merrell, Florida Child Health Care Coalition and Leah Cook, Florida CHAIN
BRIEF SUMMARY
Some Florida legislators, however, seem to have other ideas. They proposed replacing even more State funds invested in Medicaid with short-term federal dollars, setting the stage for still more cuts. The bill also says that Florida won’t receive the extra funding if it makes eligibility requirements any tighter than they were as of last July. This may mean that Florida would be required to restore the Medically Needy and MEDS-AD Waiver programs now scheduled for elimination. WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS The public conversation about the economic stimulus package now pending in Congress usually doesn’t highlight the fact that increased support for the Medicaid program is a critical ingredient. Many noted economists have agreed, however, that federal spending to sustain the health care safety net and preserve good jobs in health professions is a very important part of our recovery efforts. The House’s version of the stimulus bill, released January 15th, is a multi-faceted plan to jump-start the economy with $825 billion worth of initiatives over the course of two years. Last week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce took up several components of the bill, including one that would significantly boost the Medicaid program. Specifically, the bill would provide states with $87 billion in additional federal Medicaid funds by significantly increasing the federal Medicaid match rate (often called FMAP). In Florida, the portion of the Medicaid tab paid with federal funds would increase from 55.4% to 67.8%, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. The increased rate would be in place for more than two years, reaching retroactively back to October 2008 and going forward through December 2010. This would yield an estimated $4.3 billion in additional Medicaid funding for Florida during that period, including $1.4 billion in the current State fiscal year. (That number is higher than previous estimates because the proposed FMAP increase is now greater.) The full House is considering the bill this week, and the Senate Finance Committee took up a similar version of the bill yesterday. So Florida could soon be in a position not only to handle the recession-driven increase in Medicaid enrollees, but also to restore three prior rounds of Medicaid cuts approved by the Legislature within the past 16 months. The most recent of these occurred in a special session held earlier this month, with Governor Crist among those questioning the rush to slice deeper into programs serving the most vulnerable with this Congressional action pending. In one sense, a response to that question can be found in a measure tucked in the back of the special session budget bill sent to the Governor by the Legislature. According to “Section 16”, if any increased Medicaid funding becomes available to Florida, State agencies must submit more budget amendments that “reduce the state’s reliance on general revenue” without increasing the size of the total budget. In other words, instead of restoring cuts, Section 16 would simply remove more of the State funds invested in Medicaid that haven’t been cut and free up that money for whatever purposes legislative leaders deem appropriate. Florida CHAIN urged the Governor to veto Section 16, citing the potential for severe short-term and long-term consequences for Medicaid and Medicaid consumers. The extra federal funding would also insulate Florida against even more unthinkably deep cuts that the Agency for Health Care Administration hinted might be necessary when presenting its list of possible ways to reduce expenses in 2009-10. Examples include eliminating access to dentures, hearing aids and glasses as well as reducing Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women and children. Nevertheless, the stimulus legislation itself may to some extent both protect Medicaid in Florida and limit the use of Medicaid funding for unrelated purposes. One of the conditions for receiving the additional FMAP included in the House bill is a requirement that states not restrict the Medicaid eligibility criteria beyond what was in effect as of last July 1. It therefore appears - in two important cases – that Florida might have no choice but to reverse previously approved major cuts to Medicaid. Specifically, the Legislature last session eliminated most of the Medically Needy and MEDS-AD Waiver programs as of July 1, 2009 (unless they are restored during the upcoming regular session). The elimination of those programs would leave tens of thousands of vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities ineligible for Medicaid. Congress may not allow Florida to do that and still take the extra Medicaid funding. Unfortunately, however, the bill currently contains no restriction on cutting Medicaid benefits. In other words, although Florida couldn’t make it more difficult for someone to become eligible for Medicaid, the State could continue to reduce services to those who are eligible (and reduce payments to providers who will be forced to cut services as well). Just the opposite should occur. If Florida receives billions specifically intended to preserve, restore and sustain Medicaid, leaving prior painful cuts in place and supplanting State funds should be the last approach under consideration. Sources: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Coalition on Human Needs, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Florida Senate Greg Mellowe, Florida CHAIN
On Friday, January 23, Circuit Court Judge John Cooper dismissed Lyons v. APD for failure to exhaust administrative remedies, but a writ of mandamus raising similar concerns remains pending in the First District Court of Appeals. That case, Barnard v. APD, is expected to be decided in the near future. The Advocacy Center is a non-profit corporation authorized by federal law to pursue legal, administrative, and other remedies for individuals with disabilities in Florida. APD is the state agency charged with the administration of home and community based waiver services for individuals with developmental disabilities. The Lyons lawsuit alleged that cuts to the funding levels for home and community based services for individuals with developmental disabilities would cause Plaintiffs and thousands of others to experience immediate irreparable harm. The lawsuit also alleged that Plaintiffs and thousands of others have been denied their right to a hearing in violation of chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes. Approximately 3,600 individuals, for whom APD has cut funding levels, have requested and been denied access to a hearing. Because of these funding level cuts, plaintiffs face a loss of essential medically necessary services. Individuals’ health, safety and community life depend on services such as behavior analysis and support, transportation, personal care, assistance with meals and hygiene, supplies such as formula and adult diapers, dental care, residential habilitation, and other essential services. Funding for these services is not available elsewhere. Plaintiffs seek to preserve their right to a hearing pursuant to chapter 120, Florida Statutes to determine if APD erroneously reduced their funding allotment. The Advocacy Center maintains that placing the burden of reducing APD funding deficits on the backs of Florida’s citizens with developmental disabilities is harmful to Florida’s most vulnerable citizens, as well as fiscally shortsighted. Florida ranks extremely low nationwide in per person funding for home and community based services for individuals with developmental disabilities. To visit the Advocacy Center’s Website, Click Here Sylvia Smith, The Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc.
Why Both Federal and State Cigarette Taxes Strengthen Florida’s Long Term Health
Recently, several state legislators stated that the federal tax increase would dramatically diminish the revenues that a state tax would produce and might risk the chances of a tax passing in Florida. However, advocates disagree, stating that a federal increase actually makes it MORE important to pass the legislation in Florida. Here's why:
Although a 61-cent increase is a good start and will generate public health benefits, an additional increase would make further progress in reducing smoking among children, saving lives and ensuring a healthier workforce. Many voters aren’t even aware that Florida actually ranks 46th in nation for taxes paid by smokers and the tax hasn’t been raised since 1990 and at that time, it was raised by only 10 cents. We believe that the time is now to help ensure a healthier future for Florida even if the current sponsors of the bills haven’t come to an agreement as to where the funds would potentially go! Most Floridians are in agreement about raising the tax on cigarettes. According to a 2008 poll distributed by the American Heart Association, 79% of Floridians favor the tax increase if the increased revenue is allocated to health care. In addition, in an independent poll released last week by Quinnipiac University 71 % of Florida voters favored raising the state's 34-cent cigarette tax by $1. Leah Cook, Florida CHAIN
Health Care Reform: Different Ideas, Different Impacts
For months, health advocates have pondered what opportunities to reform This month, the Commonwealth Fund released a study it commissioned comparing what health reform ideas have been “on the table” already in Congress. The dozen or so reform proposals reviewed by the Lewin Group take a variety of approaches to reform. Some seek to completely overhaul the health insurance system, while others simply aim to make it easier for small businesses to offer coverage or expand health savings accounts. As a starting point for that discussion, Lewin noted that - under the current system - 48.9 million Americans (15.9%) will be uninsured in 2010. On one hand, a bill introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) calls for implementation of the often-discussed single-payer system (by expanding Medicare) and would require employers to provide coverage or pay into the system (“pay or play”). That proposal would reduce the number of uninsured Americans to zero. Senator Ted Kennedy’s (D-MA) proposal is similar, but he would get there by imposing a payroll tax on both employees and employers.) Single-payer solutions seem unlikely to gain much traction in Congress, however. At the other extreme, the proposal of Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) to allow professional and trade associations to offer coverage would actually add 283,000 more Americans to the ranks of the uninsured. The study also looked at the issue of cost, providing estimates of the total net change in spending throughout the health care system, including spending by the federal, state and local governments as well as by employers and households. Significantly, the Stark proposal, which would cover the greatest number of Americans, would also yield the greatest net savings throughout the total health care system: $58 billion. Of course, not everyone sees the proposal as beneficial. Although American households would save $225 billion, employer costs would increase by $62 billion and the federal government would pick up $189 billion more. By contrast, total health spending would increase by $64 billion under the proposal of Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), who like former presidential candidate John McCain, proposes replacing the income tax exclusion for employer-based health insurance with advance tax credits to help people purchase coverage. Also of particular interest are the proposals of President Obama and Senator Max Baucus (D-MT). Lewin reviewed the similar “Building Blocks” proposal, for which the most detail is available. Under that proposal, access to coverage would be significantly expanded through a combination of public and private coverage initiatives. That proposal would reduce the number of uninsured Americans in 2010 to about 4 million and increase total health spending by $17 billion.
Greg Mellowe, Florida CHAIN
Help Stop Medicare Fraud in Florida: Promote the Hotline
Many Medicare beneficiaries in South Florida are now receiving their Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) on a monthly instead of quarterly basis, so they can check their Medicare charges for accuracy more frequently. CMS asks residents of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties to help stop fraud by reporting any suspicious charges on their MSNs by calling Florida’s Medicare Fraud Hotline at 1-866-417-2078. We are requesting your assistance in this critical initiative to protect people with Medicare by promoting Florida’s Medicare Fraud Hotline in your meetings with Medicare beneficiaries and those who assist them with their health care decisions. You may obtain a copy of a flyer in English or Spanish, along with hotline and consumer fraud information by visiting http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/partner.asp.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
REAL STORIES FROM
Luckily, there is a new medication which treats both symptoms of my condition so I won’t have to suffer from early onset of rheumatoid arthritis in my mid-thirties. Without health insurance, this medicine costs $3,000 for a month’s supply. With my last insurance, it was a bit more affordable with a $30/ month co-pay. So you can see why a guy like me might want to maintain his coverage, especially since if I drop it at anytime the next insurance company I join will fall back on their wonderful little clause of pre-existing condition and not cover me at all! What’s amazing about COBRA is they work off of a unique business model known as, “send us your money and we will promise to provide you absolutely ZERO services for 2 months no matter what!” Every time I have switched companies I work for it always takes 2 to 3 months for the people of COBRA to get their act together to process my information, so I can receive my medicine. Yet somehow my check always gets cashed right away, including the $30 for the co-pay for the medicine I haven’t received! So here I am, job searching, scrounging together another $430 for my monthly COBRA premium and awaiting coverage. Of course customer service reps tell me I can pay for my $3,000/ month medicine up front and get reimbursed later. Someone needs to come up with a better system!
West Central Florida
National Events
Mar 29-31 Tallahassee Join strengthening Florida’s families by sharing a commitment to improve our communities through events and outreach efforts aimed at promoting the health, safety and well-being of our children. Children’s Week is supported by over 80 different non-profit, corporate, philanthropic, faith based, state agencies and organizations. Children’s Week develops and implements over 200 community events and activities statewide, bringing thousands of parents, children, policy makers, professionals, community leaders and concerned citizens together to share valuable knowledge and information about children's issues in each community across the state and at the State Capitol. On Tuesday, March 31, more than 2,000 children’s advocates are planning to attend the Children’s Capitol for a Day. Please register your event by jan 5, wherever it is being held, and Children’s Week will promote it Two toolkits are available. Next Statewide Conference Call: Dec 16 at 3:00 pm. Contact 850-251-7274 or jz@childrensweek.org
NACCHO Annual Conference 2009
Events Public meeting with Commissioner Kevin Beckner Feb 3-4 Tampa Waterfront Convention Center
Notices Pinellas residents can get free discount drug cards, which may not be used in conjunction with any health insurance plan, including Medicare and Medicaid, but will help those seeking discounts on drugs.
Events Jan 30 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Miami-Dade County Health Dept, 8600 NW 17th Street, Suite 200, Doral Sponsored by Moffitt Cancer Center & Florida Department of Health, the goal of this free program, for health educators, nurses, social workers, community religious or civic leaders, outreach workers, other professionals, and community members interested in reaching their community with important education and awareness on breast and cervical cancer, is to provide community representatives training in the use of a breast and cervical cancer educational toolbox (kit) designed as a teaching and promotional screening tool. The educational toolboxes consist of a video (DVD) and educational materials including a flipchart and brochure. The toolkits are low literacy and culturally appropriate targeting African American and Hispanic groups (Spanish language). Toolboxes free to all participants, who must commit to deliver 4 educational sessions in the next year. RSVP to 305-470-5633 or Jennifer_Prince@doh.state.fl.us
Haitian American Nurses Association Community Health Fair Jan 31 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Oasis Church, 1308 S Federal Hwy, Hollywood To register for vendor space, contact: info@hana84.org
Advocacy Corps Training Saturdays, 10:00 am-1:00 pm HSC, 260 NE 17th St, Miami January 31 – The uninsured and Public Speaking The Human Services Coalition invites you to participate in their Advocacy Corps Trainings (ACT). Find out how to create change around health care and other issues that matter most to you. Learn key advocacy skills like: communicating effectively with decision makers, public speaking and much more. These workshops will be fun, interactive and free. Breakfast served. Participants are encouraged to attend at least three in the series. Sign language interpreters, aides and other accommodation available on request at least seven days in advance. Call 305-576-5001 ext 28 or email jacobc@hscdade.org
Feb. 6 8:30 am–4:30 pm South Miami Hospital, Victor E. Clarke Ed Ctr, U.S. 1 & SW 62 Ave Almost half of all premature deaths in the United States are caused by lifestyle-related choices. We can prevent many of these deaths and enhance quality of life for millions of people if we can help them exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods, avoid tobacco and excess alcohol, learn to manage stress, improve social networks and achieve a sense of fulfillment. Target Audience: Human resource managers, wellness professionals, registered dietitians, registered nurses, exercise physiologists, health education specialists, health promotion professionals, wellness directors, community health professionals and anyone interested in developing a worksite wellness program. Contact Wellness Advantage, Baptist Health South Florida, at 786-596-2387, or e-mail wellnessadvantage@baptisthealth.net.
First Friday - Legislative Review Feb 6 11:30 am-1:00 pm HSC, 260 NE 17th St, Miami
Community Forum: Immigrant Access to Public Benefits, Work, and Citizenship
South Florida Cancer Control Collaborative Meeting Feb 26 9:30 am Aventura Hospital & Medical Center Medical Arts Bldg, 21110 Biscayne Blvd
Phil Fusca, MSW is host, and Catholic Hospice is sponsoring. Contact 305-682-7000. Networking & coffee at 9:30 am, meeting starts at 10 am, ends at 2 pm. Results from the Collaborative Online Survey will be presented. Notices
South Florida Cancer Control Collaborative Online Collaboration Survey Surveys due before February 6th. The results will be presented at the February 28th meeting. 2009 Paths of Public Health Awards
FLORIDA AUDIO CONFERENCES AND WEBCAST
Health Information Security and Privacy Toolkit for Physicians to Encourage Health Information Exchange Recruiting Ovarian Cancer Survivors
Families USA Health Action 2009 Jan 29-31 Washington, DC Registration is officially open for business! Who should come? Progressive health care advocates and anyone interested in health care justice. Why should you come? With a new President and Congress, health care reform promises to be at the top of the national agenda in 2009 with a real opportunity for substantive reform.
The Herndon Alliance 4th Annual Meeting Jan 31 2:30-5:30 pm Mayflower Hotel, Washington D.C. The meeting follows the Families USA National Grassroots Meeting Health Action 2009, and, for Herndon Alliance Partners, includes its 12:30-2:30 pm session with lunch. Learn About Recent Findings: How do we keep healthcare as the primary domestic issue in the economic downturn? How can we best talk about needed system improvements? Engage in a discussion about how local advocates can most effectively support their own agendas and support national reform. RSVP to gwen@herndonalliance.org and direct questions to 206-744-9192 or docbob@herndonalliance.org.
Race and Class Inequalities in Health Abstract submission deadline: Feb 2 Conceptual and data-based papers are invited for presentation at the annual Society for Epidemiologic Research meeting. There will be a contributed paper session on Race and Class Inequalities in Health. Accepted abstracts will be distributed at the June meeting and will also be published in a Supplement issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Submit online For inquiries about this specific session on Race and Class Inequalities in Health, contact Irene Yen: irene.yen@ucsf.edu or Pat O'Campo: pat.ocampo@utoronto.ca
Trustee Training Program Registration Now Open Registration is now open for the AHA's trustee training program to prepare participants from a diverse range of backgrounds for board service. This one-day program, created by the Institute and the AHA's Center for Healthcare Governance, addresses the challenges that minority community leaders face in seeking an appointment to a hospital board, as well as strategies for overcoming them. Led by expert faculty, participants examine the basic principles by which a board operates, the trustee's role and responsibilities, and the board's role in areas such as setting strategy and determining policy. Participants also learn about the most pressing issues facing hospital leaders, including hospital-physician relationships, quality and patient safety, and the ongoing quest for equity of care. Visit to register and to learn more.
2009 National Health Policy Conference
The Science of Cancer Health Disparities National Boricua Latino Health Organization 2009 Annual Conference
Presentation Opportunities for Child Health Services Researchers Call for Abstracts: due Feb 16 Conference: June 27 Chicago Proposals for research panels and posters are being accepted for the 2009 Child Health Services Research Meeting to be held on June 27 in Chicago. This meeting, now in its 11th year, features the latest in child health services research and policy.
Cultivating Healthy Communities: 20th National Conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control
Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health: A Blueprint for Change Sponsored by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health The Association for Community Health Improvement National Conference March 11-13 Los Angeles This annual conference hosts more than 450 professionals from hospitals, health systems, foundations, public health, and community health organizations for a gathering that stimulates real change and improvement in how community health programs are planned, run, and evaluated. There will be four tracks: Leading Community Health Assessments to Set Priorities, Programs, and Policie; Achieving Community Benefit Excellence; Improving Health by Addressing Our Social and Built Environments; Building the Skills of Community Health Leaders (for Today and the Future)
ACHI Spring Training for Health Champions
Creating the Future We Want to Be: Transformation Through Partnerships Community-Campus Partnerships for Health's 11th Conference April 29 - May 2 Milwaukee
National Breast Cancer Coalition 2009 Annual Advocacy Training Conference May 2-5 Washington, DC Each year, hundreds of breast cancer advocates come together to network with one another, hone their advocacy skills and hear the latest news in breast cancer science, research and policy. The four-day conference includes thought-provoking plenary sessions, delivered by well-known researchers, scientists, advocates and policy makers. Workshops offer scientific information and practical skills for advocates, and we set aside time to have some fun.
AUDIO AND WEB EVENTS
Families USA Letter to the Editor Tool
Cover the Uninsured Week will be held March 22-28, 2009
New listings, in order of submission deadlines Communities Creating Healthy Environments Deadline for first stage brief online proposals: Feb 26, 3:00 pm Communities Creating Healthy Environments (CCHE), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), will provide training, technical assistance and three-year grants of up to $250,000 to ten local advocacy groups working in communities of color and indigenous nations to develop effective, replicable policy initiatives that achieve food and recreation equity in the communities where they work. Brief proposals will be reviewed and scored according to the criteria listed in the Call for Proposals brochure. Approximately 40 applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. Florida Departmen t of Health, Office of Minority Health Funding Opportunity: Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the Gap Grant ProgramDeadline: March 3, 5:00 pm The Florida Department of Health, Office of Minority Health announces the availability of approximately $5 million in FY 09 funds for the Closing the Gap grant program to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities and improve minority health. The Closing the Gap Grant Program seeks to facilitate the improvement of minority health and elimination of health disparities through the development of community-based and neighborhood based projects and partnerships with public and private entities and faith-based organizations. 40-50 awards will be made, between $75,000 to $150,000; HIV projects may receive up to $175,000. Continuing listings, in order of submission deadlines Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Annual Award Deadline: Jan 30 Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) promotes health (broadly defined) through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions, including through service-learning and community-based participatory research. American Academy of Pediatrics Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Implementation Funds Program Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities: Supporting Community Action to Prevent Childhood Obesity Disparities Leadership Program Intent to Apply deadline: Feb 9 Proposals due: March 27 This year-long executive education program designed for leaders from hospitals, health plans, and other health care organizations who wish to implement practical strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities in health care, particularly through quality improvement.
Dr. Scholl Foundation The Dr. Scholl Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Applications for grants are considered in areas including but not limited to programs for children, developmentally disabled, senior citizens, civic and cultural institutions, social service agencies, hospitals and health care.
Civic Ventures: Purpose Prize for Experienced Social Innovators These awards go to people over 60 who are taking on society's biggest challenges. The prize recognizes those with the passion and experience to discover new opportunities, create new programs, and make lasting change. Five awards of $100,000 and five awards of $50,000 will be given to exceptional individuals who are channeling their creativity and talent to address critical social problems at the local, regional, national, or international level. The winners may be working in public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit organizations devoted to tackling the hardest challenges of our time: homelessness, social justice and human rights, violence, poverty and hunger, health, education, and the environment, to name a few. Nominees must be legal residents of the U.S. who have initiated important innovations in an encore career.
Public Welfare Foundation Deadlines: Mar 23, July 27 The Public Welfare Foundation supports efforts to ensure fundamental rights and opportunities for people in need. The Foundation looks for carefully defined points where funds can make a difference in bringing about systemic changes that can improve the lives of countless people. 2009 funding priorities include a Health Reform program that fosters the development of strong systems of advocacy with expertise in health policy, organizing community and interfaith groups, and building coalitions
Deadine: April 30
Innovating Worthy Projects Foundation Advancing technology to improve healthcare sevices: Verizon Foundation Applications accepted: Jan 1 through Nov 30 The Humana Foundation The Humana Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in communities where the company has facilities in states including Florida. The Foundation is committed to serving the needs of children, families, and seniors in their quest to build healthier lives and communities. Special consideration is given to proposals that focus on the following areas: health and fitness efforts that lead to better lifestyles; literacy activities that lead to improved health experiences; and the development of technology, tools, and resources that lead to healthy communities.
Department of Health and Human Services Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy (R21)
Research on Social Work Practice and Concepts in Health (R03) Closing date for applications: May 7, 2009, Multiple deadlines This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research solicits Small Research Grant (R03) applications from organizations/institutions that propose to develop empirical research on social work practice, concepts, and theory as these relate to the NIH public health goal of improving health outcomes for persons with medical and behavioral disorders and conditions. Planning Grant for Oral Health Promotion across the Life Span (R21) Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved (R01) Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved (R21)
Community Participation in Research (R01) The Effect of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination/Bias on Health Care Delivery (R01) The Effect of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination/Bias on Health Care Delivery (R21) The Effect of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination/Bias on Health Care Delivery (R03) Expiration Date: May 8, 2011 Grant applications are encouraged from institutions/ organizations that propose to: (1) improve the measurement of racial /ethnic discrimination in health care delivery systems through improved instrumentation, data collection, and statistical/analytical techniques; (2) to enhance understanding of the influence of racial/ethnic discrimination in health care delivery and its association with disparities in disease incidence, treatment, and outcomes among disadvantaged racial/ethnic minority groups; and (3) to reduce the prevalence of racial/ethnic health disparities through the development of interventions to reduce the influence of racial/ethnic discrimination on health care delivery systems in the United States.
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
Nathan Cummings Foundation The Nathan Cummings Foundation is rooted in the Jewish tradition and committed to democratic values and social justice, including fairness, diversity, and community. The Foundation seeks to build a socially and economically just society that values nature and protects the ecological balance for future generations, promotes humane health care, and fosters arts and culture that enrich communities. An additional goal is to strengthen the capacity of the Jewish community to work for social and economic justice, both in the United States and Israel. Funding priority is given to projects that have an impact at the state, multi-state, or national level.
Kresge Foundation Grantmaking Programs in Health and Environment Deadline: Open Both the Health and Environment Programs address health and environment-related social issues, particularly those affecting minority, low-income, and other underserved communities. United Health Foundation - Health Services Programs Supported Nationwide United Health Foundation works to improve health outcomes for all Americans. Support is provided to nonprofit organizations that serve the health needs of people and communities throughout the US. The Foundation's priorities are: to enhance the quality of health and medical care services by providing reliable, scientifically-based information to support decisions made by health professionals, communities, and individuals; and to expand access to medical care and health-related services for individuals and families who live in challenging circumstances. Grants generally range from $1,000 to $50,000.
Educational Foundation of America Rolling Acceptance
Johnson Foundation: Wingspread Conferences Multiple deadlines Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation Community Improvement Programs Provides support to nonprofit organizations that improve communities and positively impact lives. The grantmaking emphasis is on programs that help children and families, animals, or the environment. Average grant $2,500.
Donors Forum of South Florida on-line database Directory Of Health Policy Fellowships This Kaiser directory contains new listings for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals searching for summer, school-year, or post-doctoral positions.
Florida CHAIN Website Resources
New Listings: Children's Health Care New Listings: Federal/State Budget New: Health Insurance, Health Care Costs Health Insurance, Health Care Costs
www.floridachain.org continues to be updated with current resources. Find comprehensive information about Medicaid Reform including background information, evaluations, media coverage, consumer experiences, correspondence with AHCA, and more. Apply for Florida KidCare, access the KidCare renewal flyer, or view the KidCare Coordinating Council’s annual report. Discover resources for people who are uninsured. Find the contact information of Florida’s health committee members. Use our town hall meeting template to create your own town hall. Access health care resources in Spanish. Learn more about Florida CHAIN’s activities, board of directors, and partners. View Florida CHAIN’s publications. Just visit www.floridachain.org and mark it as one of your favorites. For feedback or suggestions, contact Lisa Margulis at lisam@floridachain.org or 954-986-6535.
Newly posted resources are at the top of each Topics List.
The Florida Discount Drug Card The Florida Relay Service is the communications link for people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf/Blind, or Speech Impaired. Through the Florida Relay Service, people who use specialized telephone equipment can communicate with people who use standard telephone equipment. To call Florida Relay, dial 7-1-1, or use the appropriate toll free numbers: 800-955-8771 (TTY); 800-955-8770 (Voice); 800-955-1339 (ASCII); 877-955-8260 (VCO-Direct); 877-955-5334 (STS); 877-955-8773 (Spanish); 877-955-8707 (French Creole) In emergencies, Relay users should call 9-1-1 directly or the emergency services center in their community. Note: 711 can't be accessed from many buildings with a switchboard system because the PBX system won't recognize it, and consumers need to dial 1-800-955-8771 from them. Florida Relay customer service is available 24 hours a day 365 days a year: 1-800-676-3777 (English); 1-800-676-4290 (Spanish)
Southeast Florida Cancer Control Collaborative (SFCCC) SFCCC works to reduce the cancer burden and cancer disparities in Southeast Florida, including Broward, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties. The SFCCC includes representatives from more than 60 public and private organizations, agencies and health care providers, as well as cancer survivor and advocacy groups. SFCCC aims to increase awareness about cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment among populations at high risk. The Collaborative meets quarterly at various locations in the region.
IPUT, Informed Parents United Together: Advocating for Universal Education and More! This nonprofit agency works at an individual local network level to educate parents
AARP's Public Policy Institute
Medicare Rights Center (MRC) has an Rx Hotline for Nonprofit Professionals as one component of its comprehensive independent source of health care information and assistance for older adults and people with disabilities. It helps with understanding or explaining the Medicare prescription drug benefit to clients. Call RxHelp, a national hotline dedicated for nonprofit professionals serving the Medicare population, operated from 10 am to 6 pm EDT. Dial 877/RXHELP-0 (877/794-3570).Other services include: a telephone hotline; a database of case advice; education and training; public policy work; electronic newsletters; and communications with local and national media outlets. To help you understand your Medicare health plan choices, the Medicare Rights Center offers Medicare Interactive (MI), a web-based Medicare counseling tool.
The nonprofit ABC is dedicated to ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes know about and make the best use of all available resources for accessing prescription drugs and reducing their costs. ABC is working through local community coalitions to inform beneficiaries and their families, as well as the professionals who serve them, about Medicare Part-D. Extra Help is provided online or in person; find out if you or someone qualifies by going to BenefitsCheckUpRx?. Publications include: Applying for the Low-Income Subsidy: A Tool Kit for Advocates; and Pathways to Success: Meeting the Challenge of Enrolling Medicare Beneficiaries with Limited Incomes
A Healthier US Starts Here: CMS Prevention and Wellness Initiative This spring and summer, as part of the "A Healthier US Starts Here" initiative the US Department of Health and Human Services and CMS will join with local officials and partners, to raise awareness of the importance of preventing chronic disease and illness, promote Medicare preventive benefits and provide information about how beneficiaries can take action to maintain and improve their health.
The AZ&Me? Prescription Savings This new AstraZeneca program provides medicines free of charge to community free clinics, community health centers and hospitals that serve the uninsured. AstraZeneca plans to provide medicines to hundreds of thousands of patients at approximately 150 facilities by the end of 2008. The new program builds on current AstraZeneca patient assistance programs by extending prescription drug assistance directly to the sites where uninsured patients interact with healthcare providers, supporting patients at one central place where they can get the medicine and care they need. In light of the updates to their patient assistance programs in the last year, AstraZeneca has decided to no longer participate in the Together Rx Access program after January 31, 2008. They offer AstraZeneca programs that provide medicines free of charge to those making up to $30,000 for an individual, or $60,000 for a family of four. More info: 1-866-325-8198
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
This project is led by Community Catalyst in partnership with the Institute on Medicine as a Profession. Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Project seeks to eliminate conflicts of interest created by industry marketing by promoting policy change among academic medical centers, professional medical societies and public and private payers. In addition the Project will advance state and national level policy solutions. The Project will sponsor a wide range of activities to achieve its goals, including research and policy analysis; national and community-based forums; outreach to the media; and meetings with key decision-makers, including deans of medical schools, health care administrators, business leaders, policy makers and consumers. These include the Prescription Project Weekly Reader, a readable, relevant way to keep members and friends of the Project informed about what is happening at the intersection of medical conflict-of-interest issues and prescription drugs.
is a prescription savings program sponsored by 10 pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer. It provides savings on a wide range of prescription products at the pharmacy counter to eligible patients without prescription coverage. For more information, call 1-800-444-4106
Save Our Sons
Is a resource for service providers working with Hispanic communities, who play a key role in reaching Spanish-speaking parents, caregivers and youth about the benefits of annual influenza (flu) vaccination. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has created a Spanish-language website where you can access free Spanish-language flu vaccination educational materials. Note: English-language materials are also available at PreventChildhoodInfluenza.org Health-Wise Woman Diabetes Prevention Education Project
Health Resources in Haitian Creole Provided by Florida Association of Community Health Centers, Inc.
The National Resource Center on Public Health Preparedness Needs of Culturally Diverse Communities is a new online central clearinghouse of resources and an exchange site to facilitate communication, collaboration, and networking among key players working to empower and eliminate disparities for culturally diverse communities in emergencies. African American Health Coalition (AfAHC) National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities Language access continues to be a significant barrier to health care for individuals with limited English proficiency. Over 23 million individuals—almost 9 percent of the population—speak English less than “very well” and likely need assistance communicating in the health care arena. In an attempt to provide tools for health care providers and others, NHeLP has released a series of reports outlining promising practices for providing language services in health care settings. In mid-April, the National Health Law Program and the
Refugee Health Information Network RHIN is a national collaborative partnership, managed by refugee health professionals, whose objective is to provide quality multilingual, health information resources for those providing care to resettled refugees and asylees. RHIN places its greatest emphasis on identifying, collecting, and making quality available materials that have been produced in refugee languages. Sources of these materials include federal, state and local public health agencies; national organizations; health care agencies; community-based organizations; academic institutions and international organizations. RHIN also strives to identify news and events, as well as other information resources useful to health providers serving refugees. Training Alliance for Communities of Color
Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Promising Practices
Community Clinical Oncology Program
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released a new brochure, Women and Depression, about the many dimensions of major depression in women. It can be downloaded. The 13-page brochure highlights symptoms, causes, women of color, life stages, and treatment, with additional sections on seeking professional help, self-help, preventing recurrent depression, and helping other women. Bulk copies for community education can be purchased on-line. Newly posted resources are at the top of each Topics List.
First Focus Children's Budget 2008
Alliance for Health Reform has developed an online toolkit on child health coverage. The toolkit provides links to resources that will improve the user’s understanding of how children get coverage in the
Cover the Uninsured Storybook - The Success of SCHIP: How the State Children's Health Insurance Program Helps America's Working Families This is a 15-page, downloadable booklet that shares the touching stories of 23 families that have benefited from coverage provided through SCHIP. Download it today to share with opinion leaders in your community. Order Free Materials: FREE English and Spanish promotional materials featuring the 1(877) KIDS-NOW hotline, which parents can call to find out if their uninsured kids are eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid, are available to augment your outreach efforts. Order fans, bookmarks, posters and more to distribute in your community while supplies last.
Helping Pediatric Practices Implement Parental Depression Screening
This publication provides an overview of the basic components of the nation’s largest health coverage program, which covers 59 million low-income individuals, including children and families, people with disabilities and the elderly who are also covered by Medicare. Medicaid is also the dominant source of the country’s long-term care financing. The primer examines how the program is structured, who it covers, what services it provides, and how much it costs. The updated primer includes tables examining the state-to-state variation in eligibility, enrollment, and spending for Medicaid enrollees. (December 2008, KFF)
Return on Investment Calculator for Medicaid Quality Initiatives The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) has launched the Return on Investment Forecasting Calculator for Quality Initiatives, a Web-based tool designed to help Medicaid stakeholders identify programs with the potential to both improve health care quality and control costs. It can generate realistic return on investment (ROI) estimates for quality improvement initiatives.
The Basics of Medicare and Medicaid
The Medicaid Matters web site is a resource for people working across the country to protect Medicaid, the health insurance that 50 million rely on. It stores a ready-to-use toolkit of messages, materials and dissemination ideas. Users are able to download, at no cost, tested messages emphasizing the importance of Medicaid and the threat now facing the program. Messages are enhanced by high quality, full color photography. One set of materials is designed to be ready to print. Once downloaded, they can be forwarded to any print house or copy shop without any further formatting. The second set of materials is designed so that components of the product can be adapted to suit the needs of that organization or constituency that wishes to use them.
Toolkit: Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans The toolkit contains links to resources on general information about Medicare private fee-for-service plans, advantages and incentives of using the plans and the difficulties that beneficiaries have faced with the plans, including enrollment fraud. The toolkit also includes a list of experts and Web sites for further information on the plans. (7/12/07, Alliance for Health Reform)
Medicare Advantage Tutorial on the basics of Medicare Advantage and types of MA plans, as well as trends in MA enrollment, characteristics of beneficiaries and the impact of MA plans on traditional Medicare. And an updated Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plan Tracker with MA plan enrollment data for June, containing local, regional and national data on MA plans and stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans. (7/17/07, Kaiser Family Foundation)
The Basics of Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare Rights Center Part D appeals manual
New/Updated Resources Medicare Drug Plan Resources Updated fact sheet providing state-specific data about Medicare drug plan options for 2007, including stand-alone drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans, and information on premiums, gap coverage, and availability to beneficiaries who qualify for full low-income assistance. Updated Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit fact sheet, with a revised estimate that 4 million people will be affected by the coverage gap in 2006, as well as current enrollment and low-income subsidy participation and updated Medicare per capita drug spending. Updated Talking About Medicare online consumer guide, reflecting 2007 benefit changes, to help people with Medicare and their families understand options and make decisions based on their personal situations; includes information about financial assistance for those with limited incomes, supplemental insurance options, and Medicare Advantage.
Getting Ready For National Health Care Reform: A Handbook for State Advocates
Approaches to Covering the Uninsured: A Guide The guide explains the key strategies for expanding coverage to the nation's 45 million uninsured people and explains and how different policy options can be combined to form comprehensive reform proposals. It organizes the various policy strategies under four overall approaches: strengthening current coverage arrangements, improving the affordability of coverage, improving the availability of coverage and changing the tax treatment and financing of health insurance. (December 2008, KFF)
The Opportunity for National Health Reform in 2009 is a PowerPoint presentation from Community Catalyst 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. Click on the orange box labeled “The Opportunity for National Health Reform in 2009”
Community Benefit & Charity Care: State-by-State Maps
The Consumer Guide to State Health Reform Community Catalyst and Families USA new Web-Based Guide to State Health Reform for Advocates. More and more states are prioritizing health care reform to address the coverage gaps that exist, the affordability crisis that continues to worsen, and the increasing costs of health care. Community Catalyst and Families USA are pleased to announce the release of a unique web-based guide to state health reform for consumer advocates working to strengthen and expand health care coverage in their states. A Consumer Guide to State Health Reform provides a detailed look at the building blocks of comprehensive health care coverage.
Fact Sheets and Primer on the Uninsured The Uninsured and Their Access to Care Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources Massachusetts’ New Law to Cover the Uninsured Women's Health Insurance Coverage
Promoting Health Equity: A Resource to Help Communities Address Social Determinants of Health
Fact Sheet: HIV/AIDS among African Americans, contains the latest statistics on how HIV/AIDS has affected the African American community. (Updated August 2008, CDC)
Critical MASS Toolkit: Taking Community ACTION on Health Disparities
Medicaid and SCHIP: Critical for Latino Families Facing Financial Hardship is a new fact sheet that discusses how Medicaid is important to low-income Latino families, especially during economic hard times. The fact sheet argues that having access to Medicaid benefits prevents Latino families from having to compromise their health care or finances. (4/10/08, national Council of La Raza)
Disparities Toolkit for Collecting Patient Race, Ethnicity, and Primary Language Data The updated version of this web-based toolkit is now available free of charge on the HRET Web site, thanks to HRET and AHA support. The new edition, which can be viewed online and downloaded as a PDF, is easy to navigate and offers important new material.
Women's Health Policy: Coverage and Access to Care Tutorial The tutorial provides an overview of women's health care needs and concerns, and discusses important issues stemming from women's health coverage and access to care and reviews central policy challenges in improving women's access to care (Feb 2008, Kaiser Family Foundation)
This toolkit was created to help advocates and leaders address race and power structures within their work to help create equitable opportunities for all. (Voices for America's Children and The Annie E. Casey Foundation)
A Patient-Centered Guide to Implementing Language Access Services in Healthcare Organizations The guide was created to assist health care organizations in better serving their clients with limited English proficiency and decrease disparities in access to health care. (DHHS Ofc. of Minority Health)
Amigos en Salud Online Disparities Toolkit
Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities: A Quality Improvement Initiative in Medicaid Managed Care ToolkitCenter for Health Care Strategies
Families
Florida is one of 8 pilot states for this initiative launched January 2009, called the Health Information Security and Privacy Toolkit that will provide physicians with the information they need to participate in electronic health information exchange. The Web-based toolkit focuses on safe, private and secure health information exchange for providers. It offers tools and resources to help physicians get connected electronically. Physicians can also earn continuing medical education credits while learning more about electronic health information exchange and electronic health record systems.
The Community Health Promotion Handbook: Action Guides to Improve Community Health
Updated! State-by-State Community Benefit Requirements and Reports 2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines Environmental Health Disparities Fact Sheets These US EPA fact sheets address disparities in secondhand smoke exposure and asthma among African American and Hispanic American children. The intended audiences are parents and community-based organizations working on environmental health issues of specific minority populations. GoingSmokeFree.org: A Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-Free Laws
New Web Tool Provides Samples of Report Cards on Health Care Quality With rising interest in information about the quality of care delivered by health care providers, HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed a new Web tool demonstrating a variety of approaches for health quality report cards. The new Health Care Report Card Compendium is a searchable directory of over 200 samples of report cards produced by a variety of organizations. The samples show formats and approaches for providing comparative information on the quality of health plans, hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians, nursing homes, and other providers of care.
Slides, Resource Links Added to Community Health Assessment Toolkit
Five Guidelines for Developing Customer-Friendly Websites better job of helping people find information on the Web about Medicaid, SCHIP and other government services by producing a customer-friendly sites
The Uninsured in America
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? This seven-part series for PBS broadcast and DVD release will, for the first time on television, sound the alarm about our glaring socio-economic and racial disparities in health--and seek out root causes. While we pour more and more money into drugs, dietary supplements and new medical technologies, it turns out there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our well-being and longevity. The series is part of an ambitious Public Impact Campaign conducted in partnership with leading public health, policy, and community-based organizations, pointing out that investing in our schools, improving housing, integrating neighborhoods, better jobs and wages, and giving people more control over their work, are as much health strategies as smoking diet and exercise.
Web Sites, Web Features & Databases
Newly posted resources are at the top of each Topics List.
SHADAC Launches Redesigned State Health Access Assistance Web Site Florida Medicaid Reform Evaluation Project The website provides information on the evaluation and access to key publications, talks, and presentations produced by the MRE team. The University of Florida (is conducting a five-year evaluation of the state’s Medicaid Reform Demonstration Project under a contract with AHCA, Florida’s state agency for health policy and planning. The evaluation will be conducted over the period of Florida’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2010), as approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by the Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy at UF. The overall objective is to assess whether Florida's Medicaid Reform accomplishes its stated objectives of delivering quality healthcare services while achieving better health outcomes and enrollee satisfaction at a more predictable lower cost. For further information, contact (352) 273-6073 or mre@phhp.ufl.edu A low literacy brochure describing services offered at
Annie E. Casey Foundation: 18th KIDS COUNT Data Book This is the recently released new edition of this national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the
First Steps: A Guide for Parents of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities Florida Developmental Disabilities Council’s most popular publication ever has been revised and updated with critical info for any parent or family member of a young child with a developmental disability. The publication is a reliable source of info for parents at the beginning of a new journey. They will learn a new vocabulary, discover advocacy skills they never knew they had, and meet new people who will become important in their life as friends, teachers, doctors, therapists and caregivers. This is a valuable tool to help guide parents in the initial steps of their journey as well as a resource they can visit again and again as they, their child and their families grow through the coming years together. The publication is available in both English and Spanish, as well as in a full color version and a black and white version – both are in Acrobat Reader format (PDF) and available in two sections – Chapters 1 to 5 and Chapters 6 to 10 – for your convenience downloading the publications.
Florida Health News, free online non-profit news service
Florida Health Insurance Coverage of Children 0-18 (2004-2005)
Statehealthfacts.org Updates Data on Medicaid & SCHIP Coverage for Children
The following resources have recently been added to the FACHC web site: Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish-speaking Adults (SAHLSA-50) A new health literacy test than can be used to screen for low health literacy among Spanish speakers. Health Coverage and Access to Care for Hispanics in "New Growth Communities" and "Major Hispanic Centers" A 2006 Report from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured Spanish Language Mental Health Manual for Health Promoters Developed by the California- Mexico Bi-National Health Initiative.
Florida Health Care Website for Consumers
State of Florida Health Care Consumer Websites
Medicaid Applications Online 24/7 and in Neighborhoods
Florida KidCare Applications can be completed online
Website Offers Free 24 Hour Health Information to Floridians to address concerns and inquiries The Florida Department of Health (DOH) Secretary encourages health care consumers to visit www.FLHealthSource.com whenever they need information about a licensed health care professional. DOH’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) maintains FLHealthSource.com. The site provides health care consumers with a host of information, including license status, office address, and disciplinary information for all health care professionals licensed in
Statehealthfacts.org provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states, covering more than 500 health topics.
Florida Progressive Information Network (FLPIN) offers a nonpartisan communication system designed to link progressive organizers with progressive activists. Individuals may sign up free of charge to receive alerts on a variety of progressive issues from other organizations participating in the Network. In order to make FLPIN work, it must be used on a regular basis. The more information put in, the more valuable it is as a tool. Link FLPIN to organization websites. A training manual is at www.flpin.net/alert.pdf. For more information or assistance, contact jen@floridahumanist.org
Healthy Counties Database on Youth Obesity A new resource containing more than 100 profiles of model policies, programs and initiatives that counties nationwide enacted to prevent childhood obesity. (June 2008, National Association of Counties)
Children’s Health Coverage Conversation Guide Children’s Defense Fund offers help with opportunities to talk about important issues with your friends and family, such as children's health coverage. Health coverage is going to be discussed on the campaign trail, on the nightly news and as a key reason why working Americans are having a difficult time paying their bills. Beware, there is a lot of misinformation out there! This guide provides helpful responses you can use to explain why health coverage for all children is a step forward for children that will improve the lives of all of us.
Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health
Online Parent SCHIP Information
You can show your state officials that cutting Medicaid is a big mistake with this revised and updated Medicaid Calculator from Families USA. Simply click on your state and use the worksheet to find out how much your state stands to lose in jobs, wages, and business activity.
Fact Sheets on Medicare, Long-Term Care Spending; Medicaid; Long-Term Spending Data
Compare your state's Medicaid program and the population it serves to other states and the nation by visiting Kaiser's new interactive online State Medicaid Fact Sheets tool.
Interactive Tools on Medicaid The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured presents the State Medicaid Fact Sheets and the Medicaid Benefits Online Database, two interactive tools featuring the latest key data, information and services provided for each state’s Medicaid program. Both tools allow for easy access to the data which can then be printed, saved and emailed.
2009 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare CMS has announced that beneficiaries, their caregivers, and family members can begin to review 2009 Medicare prescription drug plan and health plan information online. The 2009 Plan Finder allows beneficiaries to compare prescription drug coverage from both stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that provide prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans) and to view premiums, formularies, and availability of coverage in the gap. Additionally, the 2009 Medicare Options Compare tool allows beneficiaries to compare Medicare health plan options, such as HMOs and PPOs. For more information and to view the plan finder tool please click here. The LIS Outreach Toolkit can be accessed here. People without Web access can get the same information provided by the online plan comparison tools by calling 1-800 MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), by visiting their local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) office for free personalized counseling.
Understanding Advance Beneficiary Notices Usually, health suppliers and providers have an idea of whether or not Original Medicare will pay for your health services. However, there are some services that are only covered in specific circumstances and a supplier or provider might not know if Medicare will cover it for you. An Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) is a notice that suppliers and other medical providers are required to give you when they offer you services or items that they know or have reason to believe Medicare will not pay for in this individual case, even though Medicare may cover it at other times. Read the full article from Medicare Rights. Finding out What Has Been Covered: Understanding Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) and Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) The MSN is a summary of all claims Medicare has processed for you during the previous three months. The MSN is not a bill. It will contain information about submitted charges, the amount that Medicare paid, and the amount you may be responsible for. If you have a Medicare private health plan, your plan may also send you this information in an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) notice. The EOB will contain similar information fields to the MSN but these fields’ titles may vary among plans. Read the full article from Medicare Rights. Know What You Should Pay for Outpatient Services with Original Medicare Much of the time, payment for Original Medicare-covered services is a smooth and easy process. If you have Original Medicare and you see a provider who agrees to accept the Medicare-approved cost of services, you simply pay the provider a coinsurance. However, there are several factors that can complicate the situation. Avoid problems by knowing when you can be asked to pay for Medicare-covered services, how much you should be charged, and what your providers’ responsibilities are to submit claims to Medicare. Read the full article from Medicare Rights.
CMS has launched a revised version of the Medicare Drug Plan Finder Web site that allows beneficiaries to sort plans offered in their communities by annual costs based on prescriptions, monthly premiums, coverage levels in the so-called "doughnut hole" and other factors and view the information in one chart. (October 2007, CMS)
Online Interactive Medicare Advantage Comparison Tools
Fact Sheets on Medicare, Long-Term Care Spending; Medicaid; Long-Term Spending Data
Ask the Experts: High-Risk Pools In this webcast, 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. (7/15/08, KFF)
Election Year Health Reform Messaging (ppt presentation) This election season we are working hard to promote comprehensive health care reform. But how do we talk about health care in a way that resonates with voters? Drew Westen, psychologist and author of “The Political Brain”, and Celinda Lake, political strategist and President of Lake Research Partners, recently completed cutting-edge research that identifies persuasive narratives, messages, and counter-responses to support health care reform. This project, funded jointly by Families USA, Herndon Alliance, and AARP, developed and rigorously tested a set of principled stands on health care reform. Rather than just produce a set of key words or phrases, the project developed a menu of narratives and the counter-responses to predictable attacks on the narratives.
Interactive Online Side-by-Side Comparisons of Presidential Candidate Health Care Proposals
Using this tool, Medicaid benefits can be compared across the 50 states, the Families Many states are taking steps — expanding public programs, launching new state programs, and reforming private insurance — to make it possible for more people to get coverage. This new
Health08.Org, A Hub for Information about Health Care and The Presidential Campaign With health care emerging as one of the hot topics in the 2008 presidential election, this new ad-free Kaiser Family Foundation Web site will provide analysis of health policy issues, the results of regular public opinion surveys, and news and video coverage from the campaign trail. It will feature original content produced by Kaiser as well as health-related resources from various campaigns, other organizations, and news outlets. The site will offer summaries of candidates' health reform proposals, basic facts and information about the health system, the results of Kaiser tracking surveys examining the public's views on health issues and their perceptions of the candidates' views on health care, syntheses of health news coverage, podcasts and video from the campaign trail, and interviews with candidates and other key players in the health reform debate.
Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions includes a corresponding PowerPoint presentation. (Cover the Uninsured)
The average American adult reads at a middle school level; but, most medical information printed and spoken by doctors is at a college level or more. This disconnect can cause major problems. To combat this, the Jefferson County Health Department has begun to work toward improving health literacy. They have partnered with East Central Missouri Area Health Education Center (ECMO-AHEC) in creating a health literacy internship for a recent pre-med high school graduate. Through this internship, the Department has begun to change their written materials to a reading level all people can understand. Also, they have been working toward staff education so they can ensure that their patients understand the medical information told them. Finally, they have created a health literacy website. This website includes information for patients, providers, and public health professionals, as well as a page linking to even more health literacy resources.
State Expansion Resource Center from Minority Health Initiatives at Families USA features states that have expanded, or are working to expand coverage, on a more comprehensive scale. Here too you will find the most recent headlines.
is a free online learning experience designed to help health professionals improve their patient-communication skills, increase their awareness and knowledge of factors that affect their communication with patients, and implement patient-centered communication practices. The course, developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), comprises five modules and is estimated to take a total of 5 hours to complete. The course may be completed at the user's own pace and may be taken for credit (CEU/CE, CHES, CME, and CNE) or not for credit.
Guide to Health Programs (Guia de Programas de Salud) This easy-to-use bilingual guide in Spanish and English is available for free to anyone looking for basic information on health insurance, nutrition, and other public programs. ( Complete body of reviewed research available through new interactive tool. (10/11/07, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Think Cultural Health is a new web page that provides a wealth of resources and information on the issues of cultural competence in health care and health care disparities. (DHHS Office of Minority Health)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's new disparities Web page includes publications and information listed according to racial/ ethnic group, as well as by topic area.
National Cancer Institute Spanish Web Site The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has launched a new Web site, cancer.gov en español tailored to the needs of the U.S. Hispanic/Latino community. The Web site is completely in Spanish and is one of the latest tools developed by the NCI in its efforts to address cancer health disparities. It is intended to meet the needs of Hispanic/Latino cancer patients, their families and health care providers, who are either Hispanic/Latino or serve such patients.
The Applied Research Center (ARC) and COLORLINES Magazine have made various resources from their conference available on the ARC Web site, the ARC blog, and on the Facing Race wiki Kaiser Family Foundation issued a new data update that shows the percentage of whites, African Americans, and Hispanics in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that are uninsured, enrolled in Medicaid, and living in poverty. The data also provide a quick glance at disparities in rates of infant mortality, diabetes-related mortality, and AIDS cases between these racial and ethnic groups.
Faith Based Efforts and Resources Families
Factline: Tracking Health in Underserved Communities
New Database for Medical Language Access
2007 Federal Poverty Guidelines Now Available
Women's Health Insurance Coverage Fact Sheet
Comprehensive source of Hispanic data Rural Communities Statistics and Information
Immigrant Health Policy Reference Library
Community Health Status Indicators Online Tool Released Program Resources Added to the MAPP Clearinghouse Harvard Health Publications Website This publishing division of Harvard Medical School has launched, in January 2009, a redesigned and enhanced website to serve the needs of health-conscious consumers in search of trusted health care information. The new offers easy accessibility to the most current practical, authoritative health information, drawing on the expertise of the 8,000 faculty physicians at the Harvard Medical School and its world-famous affiliated hospitals.
WhyNotTheBest.org Web Tool Allows Hospital Comparisons The Commonwealth Fund has launched a new Web site that allows health care providers, researchers, and professionals to easily conduct side-by-side comparisons of 4,500 hospitals nationwide, track performance over time against numerous benchmarks, and download tools to improve health care quality. (12/17/08, Commonwealth Fund)
CDC Launches CDC-TV On-Line Video Resource The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched CDC-TV, a new online video resource that will cover a variety of health, safety and preparedness topics. The premiere series on CDC-TV is "Health Matters." is a compilation of more than 150 health tables. Nearly one in five U.S. adults - more than 40 million people - report they do not have adequate access to the health care they need, according to the annual report on the nation's health released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report also contains a special section focusing on access to care, which shows that nearly 20 percent of adults reported that they needed and did not receive one or more key services in the past year including medical care
Latest Health Policy Facts and Data The Kaiser Family Foundation has launched Kaiser Fast Facts, featuring QuickTakes and Kaiser Slides - two sources of facts, data and slides about the nation's health care system and programs.
Tracking the Presidential Candidates on Health Care
Consumer Health Information for You and Your Family
Metropolitan Quality of Life Data
New Online Medical Dictionary Reference Tool MediLexicon International Limited, corporate owners of Medical News Today, was pleased to announce on Nov. 11 the launch of a new medical dictionary tool. This dictionary search is a joint collaboration between MediLexicon and Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, who have provided the data. American Community Census Data Online State Level Data on Health Coverage & the Uninsured
The Johns Hopkins INFO Project's OneSource Database This provides one-stop access to over 360,000 resources and six separate databases with a single mouse click or search term. OneSource users can quickly search for reports, articles, documents, posters and pamphlets, photos, web sites, Q&As and news articles through a single interface. An enhanced search and browse capability makes finding global family planning, reproductive health and population information faster and more simple than ever. Enter your terms in the search box. Select the resource type you want to look for, or search all six databases at once, and click Search.
Audio, Videos and Films: Web, Rent/Purchase, Theater The Uninsured in America Today's Topics in Health Disparities - Are Health Disparities Back on the National Agenda? Examining the Impact of a New Administration and Congress Are Health Disparities Back on the National Agenda? Examining the Impact of a New Administration and Congress
Webcast: Political Promises
The Indirect and Direct Costs of Health Disparities: The Economics of Prevention and Why and How Companies Are Making it Their Business is a webinar of a forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust at the CBS’s annual legislative conference in Washington, DC.
Cultural Taboos That Influence Minority Patient’s Care is a video features the Maimonides Cancer Center in Brooklyn, NY. The medical center faces challenges in treating and diagnosing cancer among its very diverse patient population. According to doctors at the center there is an increasing need for a culturally-sensitive approach to patient care—one that meets the needs of and respects each patient’s cultural values.
Investigating an Urgent Healthcare Problem By the year 2020, a nationwide shortage of up to one million trained nurses could mean that hundreds of thousands of patients will receive less attention and substandard treatment. [NOW on PBS]
Mobilizing for National Health Care Reform The forum held on October 22, is now online as a podcast, with additional documents. Renowned public health leaders, and advocates for single payer and transitional plans, compared the presidential candidates' plans for national health care reform, and examined how these plans address the concerns of public health, women, low-income residents and health care providers. (Center for Policy Analysis)
A podcast from The Commonwealth Fund highlights the success of remote simultaneous medical interpreting (RSMI), a new translation method being used at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital. Like the translation service used at the United Nations, RSMI allows the doctor and patient to speak into enhanced telephones while an off-site interpreter translates.
The Deadliest Disease in America, is a documentary produced by URU The Right To Be, Inc, which chronicles the stories of four individuals who experienced racism while seeking medical care. The film serves as a vehicle to foster discussion about the U.S. health care system and what strides are being made to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. For more information, to view the trailer, and to see a list of conference tour locations, click here.
Viewpoints: The Health Care Debate This new series online from Kaiser Family Foundation Broadcast Studio features interviews with leaders of organizations representing health care providers, insurers, policymakers, employers, labor unions and consumers sharing their views on shortcomings in the nation's health care system and how it could be improved. The Partnership for Quality Care hosted a summit, “Confronting the Chronic Care Challenge,” that focused on improving value in delivering care to patients with chronic conditions. In particular, the second panel of the summit focused on changing delivery systems to reduce inequities in health care. To view the entire summit or specific panels, click here.
Sick People or Sick Societies? We are healthier than ever before, and we live longer, but improvements in health are not distributed evenly. The rich outlive the middle classes, who outlive the poor. Swedes and Japanese live longer than Canadians, and Canadians, longer than Americans. Freelance journalist Jill Eisen discovers that the reasons have little to do with our health care systems. FREE download available for limited period.
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? This seven-part series for PBS broadcast and DVD release will, for the first time on television, sound the alarm about our glaring socio-economic and racial disparities in health--and seek out root causes. While we pour more and more money into drugs, dietary supplements and new medical technologies, it turns out there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our well-being and longevity. The series is part of an ambitious Public Impact Campaign conducted in partnership with leading public health, policy, and community-based organizations, pointing out that investing in our schools, improving housing, integrating neighborhoods, better jobs and wages, and giving people more control over their work, are as much health strategies as smoking diet and exercise.
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? Hosted by the Black Women’s Agenda, the workshop featured a panel discussion of this PBS documentary produced by California Newsreel. View the entire panel discussion online.
Partnerships to Achieve Health Equity This Society for Public Health Education summit featured a series of plenary sessions dealing with the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities by focusing on health behavior dissemination, research, and implementation. Videos and transcripts available online.
Can Tax Credits Be a Linchpin for Health Reform? Lessons from the Factory Floor In a policy field notoriously beset by ideological and partisan division, one of the few ideas enjoying support across the philosophical spectrum is the use of federal income tax credits to cover the uninsured. The only credit of this sort now available-the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC), serving workers displaced by international trade-aids no more than 15 percent of eligible households. (4/1/08, Urban Institute)
Social Epidemiology: Strategies for Public Health Activism Health Disparities in the United States: Social Class, Race, Ethnicity, and Health
The Public Health Observatory Handbook of Health Inequalities Measurement This new South East Public Health Observatory handbook primarily focuses on the measurement and interpretation of health inequalities.
Ahora Hablo! Medical Edition,"Simple Steps to Communicate with Spanish-speaking Patients Unlike other medical Spanish books on the market, this book is pocket-sized and includes vocabulary for dental and vision care as well as many specialized areas such as obstetrics and cardiology. It retails for $9.95. It is being picked up independent and college book stores as well as hospitals and clinics. For more information: m.h.graham@ahorahablo.com or call 414-331-7178
Florida Dept of Health Women’s Health Newsletter The FL Dept of Health website has a Women’s Health page with a new quarterly Women’s Health Newsletter. The April-June 2008 will be online.
States Feeling Strain of Increased Medicaid Demand Rising Unemployment, Medicaid and the Uninsured Medicaid as Stimulus: A Tonic for What Ails the Economy?
New Listings: Children's Health Care
America's Health Starts With Healthy Children: How Do States Compare? High Costs, Low Incomes and SCHIP Reauthorization Update on Children's Coverage: Role of Medicaid and SCHIP For Children and Families Access to Health Care for Children Ages 10 to 19 Lacking, According to Report
Medicare Hospital Stays: Comparisons between the Fee-for-Service Plan and Alternative Plans, 2006 Medicare’s Private Plans: A Report Card on Medicare Advantage Medicare Advantage: Characteristics, Financial Risks, and Disenrollment Rates of Beneficiaries in Private Fee-for-Service Plans Payment Policy and the Growth of Medicare Advantage
New Listings: Federal/State Budgets
Preliminary Analysis of Medicaid Assistance for States in the House Economic Recovery Package, With State-by-State Data States Make Drastic Cuts to Health Services and Federal Funds Won’t Likely Help Facing Deficits, Two-thirds of States are Imposing Cuts that Hurt Vulnerable Residents State Budget Troubles Worsen
Public Support for Health Reform Diminishes When Costs Are Mentioned Holding on to Health Benefits Is Too Expensive for Unemployed Health Care Spending Slows, but Americans Are Still Paying More Living on the Edge: Health Care Expenses Strain Family Budgets The Fraying Link between Work and Health Insurance: Trends in Employer-Sponsored Insurance for Employees, 2000-2007 Closing the Gap: 2008/2009 Employee Perspectives on Health Care Key Findings from Qualitative and Quantitative Research among America's Small Business Owners Checking Up on Retail-Based Health Clinics: Is the Boom Ending? Health Insurance Coverage of Women Ages 18 to 64, by State, 2006-2007 More U.S. Residents Seeking To Participate in Paid Clinical Trials as Economy Weakens CMS: Growth In Health Care Spending Slowed In 2007 Squeezed! Caught Between Unemployment Benefits and Health Care Costs Worsening Economy Leaves More Americans Struggling With Medical Debt
The Health and Health Care of U.S. Prisoners: A Nationwide Survey Integration of Mental Health in Healthcare Reform The Bazelon Center has prepared a series of seven issue briefs on critical areas affecting the integration of mental health services in healthcare reform. Each contains federal policy recommendations. The issue briefs include a discussion on primary care, medical homes, public programs, public health, and quality assurance. (November 2008, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law)Prescription Drug Spending Trends In The United States: Looking Beyond The Turning Point CMS Reports Lowest Rate Of Overall Growth In National Health Spending Since 1998 Health spending in the United States grew 6.1 percent in 2007, to $2.2 trillion or $7,421 per person. This was the slowest rate of growth since 1998 Health care spending, however, continues to outpace overall economic growth. The slower growth in 2007 was attributed mostly to slower growth in both retail prescription drug spending and Medicare spending associated with administering Medicare benefits. (January 2009, CMS) Rising Out-Of-Pocket Spending For Chronic Conditions: A Ten-Year Trend A rise in chronic disease, particularly among baby boomers and older adults, was a key driver of the fact that consumers spent about 40 percent more out of pocket for health care over the past 10 years, a thematic volume on chronic illness The study shows that the prevalence of chronic disease in the United States has burgeoned since 1996 not just among the "oldest old" but also among people in midlife and early old age -- regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or income. (January/February 2009, Health Affairs)
Getting and Keeping Coverage: States' Experience with Citizenship Documentation Rules Federal regulations that took effect in 2006 require that individuals provide proof of citizenship when applying for or renewing Medicaid or other public health insurance coverage. The new report examines the impact the documentation rules have had on the stability of public coverage for low-income families in seven states. (1/12/09, Commonwealth Fund)
New Listings: Other Health Issues
Outcomes Assessment And Health Care Reform Public reports on the quality of care delivered by health plans might motivate patients to choose better providers - if they are not constrained by issues of cost and accessibility to doctors, according to a review of recent studies. (January 2009, Medical Care, APHA) Florida among 10 worst states for adult diabetes
As with other benefits made available under the Medicaid Reform Pilot Program, the prescription drugs covered by health plans (called Preferred Drug Lists, or PDLs) are permitted to deviate significantly from standard Medicaid. Although this flexibility has been touted as increasing consumer choice, meaningfully informed choice is still not possible given the lack of simple and direct access to usable information about those options. In particular, longstanding problems in Reform with respect to accessing plans' PDLs on-line have still not been resolved. These problems may stem from AHCA's reluctance to impose requirements ensuring clarity, accessibility and uniformity of consumer information, as well as from its apparent unwillingness to enforce even the weak requirements it has already imposed.
More than six people die each day in Florida because they do not have health insurance. A new Families USA report is the first-ever state-specific report of its type, based on a ground-breaking national study by the Institute of Medicine, which in 2002 forged the direct link between a lack of health coverage and deaths from health-related causes. The report also finds that:Between 2000 and 2006, the estimated number of adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in Florida who died because they did not have health insurance was more than 13,600. Across the United States, in 2006, twice as many people in that same age category died from a lack of health insurance as died from homicide. (March 2008, Families USA)
HHS Failed To Show Budget Neutrality Before Approving Florida, Vermont Medicaid Waivers
State of Breast Cancer Report Names
Florida Funding For Safety-Net Hospitals Could Be Affected By Proposed Property Tax Cuts Proposed cuts to
Too Great a Burden: Florida Families at Risk A Report on the Impact of Healthcare Costs on Over the past eight years, relentless growth in health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs has made spending on health care an increasing burden. For many Floridians, this means that health care is consuming an ever-growing share of their budgets, forcing them to make difficult sacrifices in other areas so they can make ends meet. And for many hard-working families, the burden of these health care costs has become too great to bear. (Dec 2007, Families Miami-Dade Health Profiles 2007 The Health Council of South Florida released the South Miami-Dade 2007 Health Profile in fall 2007. The South-Miami Dade Health Profile is the second in a series of area Health Profiles prepared for
(Florida) AHCA's Annual Report on Medicaid Reform (delivered 10/1/07) Annie E. Casey Foundation: 18th KIDS COUNT Data Book This is the recently released new edition of this national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the
Intended as a “call to action” for area health care advocates and policy makers, the report assesses how well systems and institutions are meeting residents’ needs. It analyzes and synthesizes 93 health indicators, examines pervasive continuing racial and ethnic disparities, and sets targets for ten priority need areas including access to health care and coverage.
Florida Children’s Action Agenda 2007/2008 Available Online
Interruptions in Medicaid Increase Risk of Hospitalization Interruptions in health insurance coverage are common in the United States. For people covered by a public insurance program like Medicaid, the myriad state rules governing eligibility for coverage are partly to blame: to continue qualifying for benefits, Medicaid beneficiaries must demonstrate eligibility each year and, in some states, as often as every three months. (12/16/08, Annals of Internal Medicine) Many States Experience Increases in Medicaid Enrollment as Tax Revenues Fall Below Projections State Budget Deficits Put Pressure on Medicaid Spending Nationwide State Fiscal Conditions and Medicaid Florida’s Medicaid Reform: Informed Consumer Choice? How Do Employment Outcomes of Medicaid Buy-In Participants Vary Based on Prior Medicaid Coverage?
Emerging Health Information Technology for Children in Medicaid and SCHIP Programs
Unclaimed Children Revisited: The Status of Children’s Mental Health Policy in the United States
Health Coverage of Children: The Role of Medicaid and SCHIP
Left Behind: America’s Uninsured Children CBO Predicts Medicare Public Buy-In Would Lead To Higher Insured Rates And Lower Costs Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service plans can cost beneficiaries more out-of-pocket than the traditional fee-for-service program, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. It called on CMS to investigative PFFS plans that require Medicare beneficiaries to inform them before they receive services and ensure that the plans follow agency guidance. (December 2008, GAO)
Cancer Patients in Part D Will Spend More and Face More Restrictions Medicare Rule Deters Blacks from Hospice Does Poorer Familiarity With Medicare Translate Into Worse Access to Health Care?
State Revenues: A Failing Structure A Painful Recession: States Cut Health Care Safety Net Programs State Budget Cuts Jeopardize America's Health Shrinking state health department budgets, brought on by the current economic downturn, are forcing cuts in critical public health programs and reductions in workforce that will have wide ranging effects. This is according to a recent survey of state and territorial health agencies. (12/23/08, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials) State Budget Troubles Worsen Long-Term Fiscal Outlook is Bleak: Restoring Fiscal Sustainability Will Require Major Changes to Programs, Revenues, and the Nation’s Health Care System Facing Deficits, Many States are Imposing Cuts that Hurt Vulnerable Residents Overview of States and the Weak Economy
Study: Medical Bills Above 2.5% of Income Strain Family Finances Study: Privately Insured Hit with Medicare, Medicaid Underpayments Checking Up on Retail-Based Health Clinics: Is the Boom Ending? Anew issue brief found that only a tiny fraction of American families in 2007 had ever used these in-store clinics. While the number of retail clinics grew from about 60 in 18 states at the beginning of 2006 to more than 900 in 30 states by the end of 2007, only 1.2 percent of families reported they had visited a retail clinic during the past 12 months. (12/15/08, Center for Studying Health System Change) Americans Worry More About Access to Care Than Diseases Rise in Unemployment Leads to Rise in Uninsured Health Coverage in a Period of Rising Unemployment Getting What You Pay For: Reducing Wasteful Medical Spending Rising Number of Uninsured Burdens Emergency Rooms Majority Of U.S. Residents Believes Obama Should Seek Major Changes To Health Care System A majority of U.S. adults believe that President-elect Barack Obama should make major reforms to the health care system. Seventy-seven percent of adults believe that Obama should make major reforms to the health care system, compared with 20% who said he should not, the poll found. Of those supporting major reforms, 51% of adults believe that Obama should seek them immediately after he takes office, and 26% believe that he should wait until later in his presidency, according to the poll. Sixty-eight percent of adults believe that Obama will have the ability to make major reforms to the health care system, compared with 28% who believe that he will not have the ability, the poll found. Almost three-fourths of adults believe that Obama should increase federal funds for health insurance for children, compared with 23% who believe that he should not. (12/23/08, Washington Post-ABC News Poll) Consumers And Employers Paying Almost $90 Billion Due To Under-Payments To Hospitals And Physicians By Medicare And Medicaid Nearly 40 million U.S. adults decided not to fill a prescription medication from a doctor in the past year because of the cost, according to apharmaceutical and healthcare market research company study that found that women and patients with neurological and mental health conditions were the most likely to give up their medication due to cost. (12/22/08, Manhattan Research's Cybercitizen Health)
Florida Office of Minority Health Strategic Plan 2008-2011
Survey: Chronically Ill Fare Poorly in U.S.
Rising Healthcare Costs Affect Women's Health
Older Blacks Rate Own Health Less Positively Than Older Whites Do
Farm workers' children were uninsured at roughly 3 times the rate of all other children and almost twice the rate of those at or near the federal poverty level. Programs aimed at extending insurance coverage for children should consider the unique social barriers that characterize this vulnerable population of US children. Moreover, there is significant regional variation that may reflect varying levels of insurance resources and eligibility from state to state. (December 2008, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)
The author concludes that Hispanic children disproportionately suffer from preventable health conditions, because they are more likely to be uninsured and/or have limited access to health care. To improve these health disparities, the report suggests that policy makers address the health coverage gap. (National Council of La Raza) Persistent Disparities in Health Insurance Coverage: Hispanic Children, 1996 to 2005 and Strangers in a Strange Land: Health Care Experiences for Recent Latino Immigrants in Midwest Communities. The first report concludes that while the number of uninsured Hispanic children decreased from 1996-2005, Hispanic children still have a higher likelihood of being uninsured relative to non-Hispanic white children. The second report finds that Hispanic immigrants do not use or are unaware of local public health programs because of barriers to care, such as lack of health insurance and language barriers. (November 2008, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved)
U.S. Emergency Care System Rated C-
IOM Report Suggests 20 Key Indicators of U.S. Health An Institute of Medicine committee suggests policymakers, the media and the public focus on 20 specific health indicators to measure and track the overall health and well-being of Americans. The indicators reflect a range of factors that determine well-being, from smoking and physical activity to life expectancy, per capita health care spending, health insurance coverage and chronic disease prevalence. They will be used on the health section of a Web site being developed by State of the USA Inc. to measure and monitor the nation on a range of issues. “We believe this set of measures, as deployed by the State of the USA project, can help move the nation toward better health,” said IOM committee chair George Isham. (December 2008, IOM)
Medical Error Data Not Shared With Those Who Could Ameliorate the Problems Most hospitals nationwide collect information about patient injuries or deaths that result from medical errors, but only one in five shares the data with managers and others who could implement measures to address the problems, according to a survey conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that appeared on Monday in the journal, (12/11/08, AHRQ in Quality and Safety in Health Care)
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Florida's Legislature kicked off 2009 with a 10-day special session to address a now-$2.4 billion State budget shortfall for the current 08-09 fiscal year. The agreement struck by Republican House and Senate leaders included $1.2 billion in budget cuts, with education, affordable housing and 
The US Senate is currently debating legislation that would reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
The federal economic stimulus bill now moving through Congress would significantly increase the percentage of Florida’s Medicaid costs paid by the federal government. This would allow Florida to handle enrollment increases as well restore previous rounds of cuts and avert future reductions. 
The Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc. is litigating APD’s failure to grant administrative hearings to persons negatively impacted by their Tier assignment.
As Congress works to pass the reauthorization of the State Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which includes a 61-cent increase in sales tax for tobacco products, Florida is seriously considering a $1 increase per pack of cigarettes.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the special fraud hotline it created last year to now handle all Medicare fraud-related calls in South Florida until the conclusion of the demonstration in September. (CMS, DHHS) 
As a new administration and Congress take office, it’s time to work together to encourage our leaders to make health coverage a top priority. 
My psoriasis causes not only massive skin irritation, but also affects my bones. 
I am a victim of the dysfunctional machine we call healthcare in this country. For years, I have paid my premiums and co-pays diligently like most people even as they slowly crept higher and higher. 
