Archive 081109

	August 11, 2009

	TAKE ACTION: Act Today to Support Health Care Reform! While Congress is in recess for the month of August, about 25,000 Floridians will lose their health care coverage - adding to the 3.9 million uninsured. And premiums and out of pocket costs will continue to rise. Be a part of the movement to reform our broken healthcare system. (Laura Goodhue, Florida CHAIN) Click here to find out how to make sure your voice is heard.

	Statewide Rally Saturday, August 29 in Orlando Join Hundreds of Floridians Who Want Health Care Reform Now! Parents, students, retirees, small business owners, healthcare professionals, workers, clergy and elected representatives are speaking out TOGETHER for affordable, quality healthcare. Help get our message heard in Washington. Join this statewide rally. Read more and learn about signing up and getting transportation.

	Health Care Reform Q & A with Florida Health Experts Thursday, August 20, 2009 10 AM - 12 PM Call 1-269-320-8200 x 842465 Get up-to-date information on national health care proposals and the politcal debate. You are invited to submit questions in advance. *Read more*

	Seniors Only Gain - And Lose Nothing - in Health Care Reform It's essential to get all the facts about the health care reform proposals now being discussed in Congress. Opponents are attacking the effort, but their criticisms are misleading and often completely inaccurate. Let`s be clear: you will not only keep the health care you get under Medicare now, but Medicare will be better and stronger. Supporters of the current reform proposals all agree that your Medicare coverage must be protected. (Greg Mellowe, Florida CHAIN) Read more

	Myths and Facts About Health Care Reform from AARP Health reform is at the top of America’s agenda this year, and none too soon. Unfortunately, this debate is being hijacked by outlandish claims that just aren’t true. Nothing is gained if time is wasted on claims that seem deliberately designed to mislead and intimidate. (Lori Parham, AARP Florida) Read more

	Judge Hears Lawsuit Charging Florida with Failing Children on Medicaid On August 6, a federal judge heard arguments pertaining to a lawsuit against Florida Medicaid. The action was filed in of 2005 by the pediatricians and pediatric dentists of Florida as well as by several parents of children on Medicaid. It charges Florida with failure to provide children eligible for Medicaid with adequate access to medical and dental care, as required by the federal Medicaid law. (Louis St. Petery, M.D., Florida Pediatric Society) Read more

	Give Proof of Medicaid Reform's Feasibility "Michael Bond's column, 'Medicaid Reform: Changes needed to improve cost, quality,' might have offered a reasonable case for sticking with the ill-fated reform experiment had any of his arguments been grounded in actual facts, and had we not heard it all so many times before," states Florida CHAIN's published rebuttal to an op ed that appeared in the Sun-Sentinel. Read more

	Using Paid Time Off With Disability Threatens Health Coverage Age 38 and living with Multiple Sclerosis, Shana Lamphere continues to work as a Physical Therapy Assistant. As long as she works full time, she receives health insurance, and she's been using her Paid Time Off to make up hours to maintain full-time status. But those hours are running out, threatening her health coverage and the continuation of the health care she depends on to keep working. Read more

	Publicize Your National Health Care Reform Events With Us, and Check Out Our New Resources With National Health Care Reform dominating our agendas, Florida CHAIN is now sending out bulletins to publicize national health care reform efforts all around Florida. So add us to your distribution list or forward the information to lisag@floridachain.org so we can help you spread the word. And check out the frequently updated Health Care Reform Sections on our Events and Resources pages. Support Florida CHAIN Florida CHAIN is a non-profit organization supported by foundations, corporations and individual donations. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of our CHAIN Reaction e-newsletter or value our work and would like to make a donation, please click here or call Lisa Grossman at 954-986-6535 for more information.



	CHAIN Reaction is a bi-weekly publication of Florida CHAIN (Community Health Action Information Network), a statewide consumer advocacy organization that works toward access to quality health care, empowering people to actively shape their world by participating in civic life and caring for each other’s well being. Florida CHAIN: 3167-B Gardens East Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 info@floridachain.org www.floridachain.org

Act Today to Support Health Care Reform!

While Congress is in recess for the month of August, about 25,000 Floridians will lose their health care coverage - adding to the 3.9 million uninsured. And premiums and out of pocket costs will continue to rise. Congress may be in recess, but our movement to reform our broken health care system can't afford to take a break.

Unruly health care reform opponents may be grabbing the attention at our meetings and Town Halls, but we know the movement in support of reform is louder and stronger. Now is the time to raise our voices, to bring out the truth, and take back the health care debate. Flood the meetings with supporters of health care reform, arrive early, sit up front, be visible and be heard.

Write to media, and keep up the pressure on Members of Congress. Use the talking points below and make your voice heard.

Call or write your Members of Congress: Find your elected representative or call 1-877-264-4226 and ask to be connected directly
Submit a Letter to the Editor- Local letter to the editor contacts
Sign up to join hundred of Floridians in a statewide rally for reform on August 29th

Tips for Calling, Writing

Introduce yourself as a constituent and your role in the healthcare reform debate: voter with insurance, uninsured, healthcare professional who sees the affects of the crisis, etc.
Ask your elected official to support strong health care reform legislation (H.R. 3200 America’s Affordable Health Choices Act and the Senate HELP bill)

General Talking Points

We need a uniquely American solution to make health care more affordable for our families and businesses.
We want the freedom to choose an affordable, quality health care plan that includes the same types of benefits that you get as members of Congress.
Please pass health care reform NOW that covers all Americans at a cost we can afford.

Florida Needs Reform*
Our broken health care system forces families and businesses to struggle with skyrocketing costs and puts millions of Americans at risk of losing the insurance they have now. Here is how our broken health care system affects people in Florida.

850 residents of Florida are losing health insurance every day, and 14,000 Americans nationwide lose insurance daily.
The average family premium in Florida costs $1,400 more because our system fails to cover everyone—and $1,100 more nationally.
In Florida there has been a 15 percent increase in the uninsured rate since 2007. 3,920,000 are uninsured today in Florida.
The average family premium will rise from $12,763 to $21,779 by 2019 in Florida without health care reform.
In Florida, without health care reform, 556,070 will have lost coverage from January 2008 to December 2010.
In Florida, 1,854,000 people would gain coverage as a result of the House health care reform bill by 2013, and 2,982,000 would gain coverage by 2019.
A typical Florida family will pay $21,779 for health coverage in 2019 without health care reform.

*From the Center for American Progress

More Talking Points*

· Today, Americans are feeling the squeeze of rising health care costs like never before. As the economy declines and health care costs continue to rise, millions of hard working families are forced to choose between getting the health care they need and paying for rent or groceries.

· We’re committed to real health reform that builds on what works and fixes what’s broken. That means reducing costs for families, businesses and government; protecting people’s choice of doctors and health plans; and ensuring quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

· Inaction is a choice we can’t afford. If we fail to enact health reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket, millions more Americans will lose their health insurance and the health of our nation will suffer the consequences. It is projected that by 2019, the number of uninsured Americans could rise to nearly 66 million and health insurance premiums could double.

From Community Catalyst

For more information on how you can get involved including event suggestions and sample letters to the editor visit the Families USA Toolkit

Laura Goodhue, Florida CHAIN

Statewide Rally
Saturday, August 29 in Orlando

Join Hundreds of Floridians Who Want Health Care Reform Now!

Parents, students, retirees, small business owners, healthcare professionals, workers, clergy and elected representatives are speaking out TOGETHER for affordable, quality healthcare. Help get our message heard in Washington. Join this statewide rally.

SIGN UP for transportation and details.

www.healthcareforamericanow.org

www.seiu.org/changethatworks/florida

Health Care Reform Q & A
with Florida Health Experts

Thursday, August 20, 2009
10 AM - 12 PM

Call 1-269-320-8200 x 842465

*How will national reform affect those who are content with their insurance?
* How will services and benefits for Florida's seniors be affected?
* How will mental health services in Florida be impacted?
* How will low-income individuals and families in Florida be able to obtain insurance?
* What are the main points of the bills being discussed?

Get up-to-date information on national health care proposals and the politcal debate. You are invited to submit questions in advance of this call to lisag@floridachain.org. The panel of experts will address as many of these questions as there is time for. Questions are due by Wednesday, August 19th.

The panel of experts are Greg Mellowe, Policy Director, Florida CHAIN; Bob Sharpe, Executive Director, Florida Council on Community Mental Health; and Leslie Spencer, Associate State Director of Advocacy, AARP.

Seniors Only Gain – and Lose Nothing - In Health Care Reform

It's essential to get all the facts about the health care reform proposals now being discussed in Congress. Opponents are attacking the effort, but their criticisms are misleading and often completely inaccurate. Let`s be clear: you will not only keep the health care you get under Medicare now, but Medicare will be better and stronger. Supporters of the current reform proposals all agree that your Medicare coverage must be protected. (Click here for a printable pdf version of this message)

Issue of Concern	What WOULD NOT Happen Under Reform	What WOULD Really Happen Under Reform
Your Medicare Benefits	Would not cut Medicare benefits to help pay for health care reform. (No Medicare benefit reductions are included in reform proposals.)	Would reduce wasteful extra payments to HMOs in the Medicare Advantage program that simply boost profits and do nothing to improve care. The cuts would gradually lower rates to those paid under traditional Medicare. Would increase access to prescription drugs in Medicare by phasing out the “donut hole” gap in Part D coverage.
Your Access to Care Under Medicare	Would not make it harder to get needed care as a result of money-saving improvements in Medicare. Would not change what works in Medicare. Would not change Medicare into something different that you don't recognize or trust. You keep your doctors, your medications, etc.	Would save money through improvements in Medicare that create incentives for providers, but also help patients, such as: Providing an incentive to reduce unnecessary repeat hospitalizations for the same health problem (by providing the needed care the first time). Removing the incentive to order the most tests or approve the most procedures, instead of focusing on the real health care needs of the patient. Providing an incentive for providers to work cooperatively to manage patients’ care instead of working in isolation.
Your Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs	Would not increase Medicare out-of-pocket costs.	Would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for prevention services in Medicare. Would decrease limits on out-of-pocket costs in Medicare Advantage plans down to the limits of traditional Medicare.
Government Control and Rationing of Your Health Care	Would not come between seniors and their doctors. Would not lead to “rationing” of health care. (Even the way this issue is phrased is misleading. Insurance companies come between you and your doctor all the time under the current system. And insurers already “ration” care. The difference is that these decisions are currently driven by profits, not patients.	Would provide better information about what works and doesn't work to seniors and to their doctors. If you know what`s most effective and what`s wasteful, you can make decisions that help you get the best care and the best value for your health care dollar. Would save the system money the right way, and so would help make sure that you can keep the Medicare you`ve worked for.
Your End-of-Life Decisions	Would not lower Medicare costs by “guiding you in how to die” or by promoting “death care”.	Would reimburse doctors for one session every 5 years to confer with Medicare patients about what medical care they would prefer near the end of life and how to prepare instructions such as living wills.

Greg Mellowe, Florida CHAIN

Myths and Facts About Health Care Reform from AARP

Health reform is at the top of America’s agenda this year, and none too soon. With costs for health coverage almost out of reach for families and small businesses, and with older Americans paying, on average, 30 percent of their income for health costs, most Americans believe it’s time to improve our health system.

AARP hasn’t endorsed any specific plan. But it does want action on health reform this year. AARP will support a plan that can deliver common-sense solutions that improve access to coverage, increase quality, and bring down costs by routing out waste and fraud.

Unfortunately, this debate is being hijacked by outlandish claims that just aren’t true. Nothing is gained if time is wasted on claims that seem deliberately designed to mislead and intimidate.

For example, some say if reform is passed, individuals won’t be able to buy private insurance, choose their doctor or hospital, or control their own treatment.

This is just not true. Most Americans now get health coverage through their jobs. Both House and Senate plans under debate in Congress leave employer-sponsored coverage in place and with it, broad choices for people to pick their doctors and hospitals.

That’s not just AARP’s analysis. The respected fact-checking Web site Politifact.com gave this claim a rating of “Pants-on-Fire,” reserved for only the biggest political whoppers.

Others say health reform means the end of Medicare. Actually, the opposite is true, according to the nation’s largest group of doctors, the American Medical Association. “Without [reform] physicians face payment cuts of nearly 40 percent over the next five years that will force them to limit the number of seniors they can treat – right as the baby boomers begin aging into Medicare,” the AMA said.

One persistent myth is that health reform means seriously ill seniors will be encouraged to refuse care at the end of life. Even Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), flatly says this is false. Brown-Waite says legislation would let the doctor be reimbursed for time spent explaining care options, including a living will. A living will doesn’t deny control over end-of-life decisions. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It makes sure the patient’s wishes are followed if he or she is unable to communicate them.

Another myth involves talk of “rationing health care.” Unfortunately, some vulnerable, seriously ill people are being frightened by this cynical falsehood. Again, the truth pains a completely different picture.

Health reform would provide affordable coverage, just when help is needed the most, for those who lose jobs or just don’t make very much money. It’s also designed to stabilize future cost increases. And if an individual is forced to enter the individual market after COBRA runs out, an insurance company couldn’t deny him/her coverage because of a condition like cancer or diabetes.

Older Americans actually could gain if health reform passes Congress. For example, major drug manufacturers have agreed that if health reform passes, they will voluntarily cut half the cost of name-brand prescription drugs for those who fall into the infamous “doughnut hole” in the Medicare Part D drug benefit. Other parts of bills being debated would close the “doughnut hole’ entirely over time.

Draft health reform legislation also would eliminate your copayments and deductibles for preventive care, such as a cancer screening.

Finally – and of particular interest to AARP – some say that health reform means slashing benefits for seniors. That’s not true. If these plans cut benefits for seniors, AARP would fight them with all the strength of its 40 million members.

The proposed bills do suggest targeted cuts in wasteful health spending, including fraud and abuse in Medicare that costs everyone. Fraudsters must be tracked and stopped, spending for care that costs too much and isn’t working should be redirected, and overpayments to insurers should be cut back.

This debate is about health care’s future, not party politics. Get the facts. Go to www.aarp.org/fl to learn more about how health reform affects Floridians of all generations.

Lori K. Parham, AARP Florida State Director

Judge Hears Lawsuit Charging Florida with Failing Children on Medicaid

On August 6, 2009, Federal Judge Adalberto Jordan heard arguments pertaining to a lawsuit against Florida Medicaid. The action was filed in November of 2005 in U.S. District Court in Miami, by the pediatricians and pediatric dentists of Florida as well as by several parents of children on Medicaid. The suit charges Florida with failure to provide children eligible for Medicaid with adequate access to medical and dental care, as required by the federal Medicaid law.

The pediatricians, pediatric dentists, and parents are not suing for damages. They are seeking only an order from the Court that Florida is not in compliance with federal law and so must come into compliance by fixing many of the problems which now impede children’s access to care in Medicaid. Those problems include lack of outreach, administrative hassles, and low payments to doctors and dentists.

At issue in the preliminary hearing before Judge Jordan were several key matters in this case:

Class certification – Whether this case can be certified as a class action, allowing the pediatricians, pediatric dentists and the parents who now serve as the plaintiffs to represent all of the approximately 1.6 million Florida children enrolled in or eligible for Florida Medicaid.

Equal access – 1) Whether, as the State contends, under federal law, Florida must simply pay provider claims with “reasonable promptness”, or whether Florida is actually required to assure that services to Medicaid children are delivered with reasonable promptness. 2) Whether, as the State contends, children on Medicaid cannot enforce a provision in federal law that requires that they have access to medical and dental care equal to that of children with private insurance.

Standing – Whether, as the State contends, the pediatricians and the pediatric dentists cannot bring this action against the State, on behalf of their patients and future patients, because they are not significantly affected by the issues raised in the suit.

The attorneys for the pediatricians and pediatric dentists (the Fort Lauderdale offices of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia) gave a well-organized and impressive presentation. It is anticipated that Judge Jordan will rule on these issues in the next few weeks and is expected to set a trial date as early as mid-September. This will be a non-jury trial and is expected to last up to 6 to 8 weeks.

Clearly, the scope and duration of the trial hinges on Judge Jordan's decisions on these important issues. It is hopeful that he will rule in favor of Florida's Medicaid eligible children, and allow evidence on all of these issues to be presented at trial.

Louis St. Petery, M.D.

Executive Vice President, Florida Pediatric Society

LSTPETERY@GMAIL.COM

Give Proof of Medicaid Reform’s Feasibility

Below is Florida CHAIN’s published rebuttal to an op-ed that appeared in the Sun Sentinel. (See original op ed below FL CHAIN's response).

Give proof of Medicaid reform's feasibility
South Florida Sun Sentinel

Michael Bond's column on July 26, “Medicaid Reform: Changes needed to improve cost, quality," might have offered a reasonable case for sticking with the ill-fated reform experiment had any of his arguments been grounded in actual facts, and had we not heard it all so many times before.

Dr. Bond and the "free market at any cost" James Madison Institute continue to read from the same 2005 playbook that has already yielded a three-year losing streak for the pilot since it was first implemented. And with Jeb Bush no longer serving as head coach and few remaining fans to rally, it falls to Bond to exhort us to continue waiting for an assessment he likes, no matter what happens to vulnerable recipients in the interim. (In calling for reform expansion last year, Bond resorted to contriving his own glowing assessment.)

It's difficult to decide where to start dissecting Bond's misstatements this time around. For one, his inaccurate characterization of Medicaid spending trends and the reform's impact on them are familiar scare tactics. Growth in spending per recipient has, in fact, been increasing more slowly than inflation generally, even with the pilot implemented in only five counties. For another, he wrongly states that quality and satisfaction are only being measured in the reform. As for his personal "research" concerning extra benefits, the numbers he cites are both skewed and woefully obsolete. Perhaps the quickest way to shed light on the irrelevance of his claim would be to point out that the majority of the HMOs that provided the few extra benefits available aren't even participating in reform anymore.

Bond's main point, however, is that if we would simply wait until the end of the five-year pilot to get the data we were supposed to have at the beginning, he will be vindicated. Ironically, the failure of that initiative continues to serve as cover for an array of other failed components of Medicaid reform.

Finally, Bond admonishes critics for their outspokenness regarding reform, but alleges silence with respect to potential alternatives. Here again, Bond speaks without bothering with pesky facts. As just one example, the Legislature just set in motion preparations for a new "medical homes" pilot with proven success in other states.

Consumer advocates wouldn't fear a legitimate defense of the Medicaid reform pilot. We simply have yet to see one.

Laura Goodhue is executive director of Florida CHAIN, a statewide consumer health care advocacy organization.

Medicaid Reform: Changes needed to improve cost, quality
South Florida Sun Sentinel

Medicaid is in serious financial trouble. Absent major changes, the growth in Medicaid spending threatens to eviscerate the funding available for other vital state priorities. That's one reason why Florida got a federal waiver to try a new approach: a pilot project using managed competition in five counties.

Money wasn't the only concern, however. Just as bad as its fiscal condition is Medicaid's well-deserved reputation as a low quality healthcare plan. In some regions, at least one-third of all practicing physicians refuse to accept Medicaid patients — and more than 60 percent will not accept new Medicaid patients.

As a result, Medicaid beneficiaries wind up in emergency rooms at twice the rate of the uninsured and four times that of patients with private insurance. Worse, Medicaid is also routinely abused by providers, with many instances of outright fraud.

Despite these problems, some well meaning people still want to preserve Medicaid in its current form. We can see this in the relentless attacks on Florida's Medicaid Reform Demonstration, a bold experiment now in its second full year of operation.

The latest criticism — from the Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability — is an example of premature evaluation. The first data suitable for analysis of costs and the quality of patient care is not expected until next January.

Before this reform, there was virtually no data being kept on the quality of patient care, provider satisfaction, or other important factors. And the cost data consisted of a scary trend toward unsustainable expenses that would have wrecked the state budget.

Meanwhile, other critics have focused on erroneous reports alleging that more than 25 percent of Medicaid providers had dropped out of the reform plans. Because this was so different from the data I had seen, I checked out this claim. It was utter nonsense.

Here's what really happened: After the reform was implemented, Florida Medicaid began monitoring HMO provider networks more closely to evaluate their adequacy. The state is now conducting monthly checks to ensure that the providers whom the HMOs list are still accepting Medicaid patients.

This process initially produced some "cleansing" of the provider lists. The reporters obtained information about this process, compared the old lists to newly audited lists, and then concluded that 25 percent of the physicians had dropped out of the reform.

But the "loss" was actually just a recalculation to ensure that the data on provider participation would be valid. The latest data I have indicates that only about 3 percent of the providers have elected not to participate in reform.

Meanwhile, critics have largely overlooked improvements. My research indicates, for instance, that the various reform plans made 12 co-pay reductions and 112 benefit expansions.

Given traditional Medicaid's unsustainable fiscal trend and substandard care, critics of reform would do well to offer a viable alternative that slows the spending increases and improves the quality of care. Yet when it comes to offering alternatives to Florida's ambitious reform, the critics have been silent because they have nothing much to offer except more of the same.

Dr. Michael Bond is an adjunct scholar at The James Madison Institute in Tallahassee.

REAL STORIES FROM FLORIDA HEALTH CARE CONSUMERS

Using Paid Time Off With Disability Threatens Health Coverage

Dear President Barack Obama,

My name is Shana Lamphere, and I am 38 years old. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2007.

I work and attempt to do the best that I can, for someone who has a disability. It makes things difficult, such as working. I have been working for a local company as a Physical Therapist Assistant. I am telling you this for a reason. I have worked all of my life and have carried medical insurance through the companies I have worked for.

Now I am faced with another problem. I have had to use any Paid Time Off to make up hours of work to accumulate to 32 hours, which is what the company considers full- time for health insurance. I have asked my supervisors, their supervisors and Human Resources of this company “what will happen when I no longer have any Paid Time Off?”

I was told that would depend on my supervisor. So I am now at less than 10 hours of Paid Time Off and at jeopardy of LOSING my HEALTH INSURANCE!!! I am very worried because of my health issues - what will happen without my medications? I already have balance difficulty, foot drop and fatigue, among other problems.

I am scared that without my insurance I will no longer be able to maintain my health because I will no longer be able to afford or be able to get my medication?. This is just the beginning. What about seeing doctors that know about this disease?

I am 38, willing and trying to work for a living. I could apply for SSDI, however that could take a year to get or qualify for, and then I’d have 24 months to wait again for help with Medicare. That is a total of at minimum 3 years or more to get health coverage. I need help - what help is out there for someone in my situation? Is there any help or am I just going to wait and hope my disease does not get worse waiting?

Sincerely,

Shana D. Lamphere

Hernando, FL

Florida CHAIN Seeks Stories

Florida CHAIN welcomes contributions from health care consumers who are interested in sharing their experiences with readers of CHAIN Reaction. If you have a story to share, please contact lisam@floridachain.org

Please confirm date, time and location for events, as they are subject to change after being listed here.

NEW: Health Care Reform Events

Southeast Florida
Southwest Florida

FL Audio and Web Events

National

Other State Events & Notices
North Florida

Central Florida

East Central Florida

     West Central Florida
     Southwest Florida
     Southeast Florida
     Florida Audio and Web Events
     Statewide Notices

Other National Events & Notices
Conferences
National Audio and Web Events

National Notices

National Campaigns

HEALTH CARE REFORM EVENTS & NOTICES

Floridians Rally for Healthcare Reform NOW!

Aug 29

Residents from throughout Florida are coming together for Florida's LARGEST mobilization for healthcare reform yet! Buses are being organized for rides as well. More details coming soon!

NORTH FLORIDA

Health Care Phonebank

Aug 12, Aug 13 5:30 pm Florida Democratic Party, 214 S Bronough St, Tallahassee

Come reach out to neighbors to talk to them about President Obama's principles of health care reform. We have multiple phone lines but please bring your cell phone if you are able to use it.

Tallahassee - Health Care Organizational Meeting

Aug 14 6:00 pm Florida Democratic Party, 214 S Bronough St, Tallahassee

Getting fired up and ready to move on supporting the President. Come join OFA staff and other supporters to see a road map forward for how you can become involved and affect change in your community and the nation.

Beaches Library Phone Bank

Aug 14 4:00 pm Beaches Branch Library, Neptune Beach

Spread the truth about health care reform to Jacksonville’s beaches.

Beaches Library Phone Bank

Aug 14 4:00 pm Beaches Branch Library, Neptune Beach

Spread the truth about health care reform to Jacksonville’s beaches.

Green Fest/Conference

Sept 5 Jacksonville Children’s Commission

Shifts begin at at 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm

Part of Festival/Conference includes separate symposia for women and men featuring medical professionals with dialogue on health reform, cardiovascular issues, green pharmaceuticals, holistic healing.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Health Care Forum

Aug 12 1:00-3:00 pm Faith Lutheran Church, 211 Easton Dr, Lakeland

The public is invited to join a free community conversation with AARP State Director Lori Parham to hear what is happening with health care reform and issues AARP is emphasizing. They will share feedback from members across the country and want to hear from you. RSVP not needed. For more info contact 866-595-7678 or flaarp@aarp.org.

Orlando Health Care Phonebank

Aug 12, 19, 26; Sept 2 4:00 pm SEIU, 7001 Lake Ellenor Dr, Orlando

We will be holding weekly phonebanks to recruit new volunteers as well as collect pledges in support of health care reform. This is a great opportunity to expand our community network of volunteers which will allow us to hold events more often and gather support for passing health care reform by the end of the year. Please sign up for this event as well as future phonebanks listed on this site. Bring a friend!

Seminole County Health Care Phonebank

Aug 12, Aug 19, Aug 26 4:00 pm Seminole County DEC Headquarters, 125 Robin Rd, Altamonte Springs

Seminole County Health Care Pledge Drive

Aug 16, Aug 23, Aug 30 12:00 pm Seminole County DEC Headquarters, 125 Robin Rd, Altamonte Springs

Seminole County Health Care Pledge Drive

Aug 22, Aug 29 10:00 am Seminole County DEC Headquarters, 125 Robin Rd, Altamonte Springs

EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

Health Care Professionals Ringing for Reform Phonebank

Aug 12 4:30 pm Brevard DEC Headquarters, 1103 Hibiscus Blvd, Ste 402, Melbourne

This is a very special statewide health care professional phone bank. We are encouraging health care professionals to attend this phone bank to call our neighbors in Brevard to speak about health care reform and to recruit new volunteers as well as collect pledges in support of health care reform. This phone bank is NOT limited to health care professionals and we invite all interested volunteers to come out to participate in this great opportunity to expand our community network of volunteers which will allow us to hold events more often and gather support for President Obama's goal of passing health care reform by the end of the year. Please sign up for this event as well as the others phone banks listed on this site. Bring a friend!

Health Care Pledge Drive

Aug 11, Aug 12, Aug 13 4:30 pm TBA, Melbourne

We will be holding pledge drives in support of health care reform. Grab a friend and come out to help make health care reform a reality this year! Our pledge drives can be done at libraries, local parks or sporting events!

Health Care Phonebank

Aug 12 4:30 pm Brevard DEC Headquarters, Melbourne

Weekly phonebanks will recruit new volunteers as well as collect pledges in support of health care reform.

Health Care Pledge Drive

Aug 15 Shifts begin at at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm TBA, Melbourne

Health Care Pledge Drive

Aug 15 Shifts begin at at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm TBA, Vero Beach

We will be holding pledge drives in support of health care reform. Grab a friend and come out to help make health care reform a reality this year!

Calling for Change

Aug 19 12:00 Noon Brevard DEC Headquarters, 1103 Hibiscus Blvd, Ste 402, Melbourne

We will be holding phonebanks to recruit new volunteers as well as collect pledges in support of health care reform. This is a great opportunity to expand our community network of volunteers which will allow us to hold events more often and gather support for passing health care reform by the end of the year. Please sign up for this event as well as the others phonebanks listed on this site. Bring a friend!

HMO Tea Party FOR Health

Sept 7 11:30 am Deland City Hall, 120 S. Florida Ave

A peaceful gathering of local citizens to discuss and show support for the proposed Public Option. Bring a chair.

WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA

Statewide Health Care Phone Bank in Largo!

Aug 12 Shifts begin at at 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm SEIU, 7850 Ulmerton Rd, Ste 9, Largo

Please join us for a phone bank for health care reform. We have 4 phones so please bring your cell phone if you can. We will be there from 4PM-9PM.

Pledge Project Canvass

Aug 13 Shifts begin at at 1:30 am, 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm Clearwater Free Clinic, 707 N Fort Harrison Ave

The Pledge Project Canvass is an unprecedented effort by a president to reach beyond Congress and tap grassroots supporters for help. Volunteers recruited online by Obama's Organizing for America, a post-election group, will ask citizens to sign a pledge in support of the president's policies on energy, health care and education. We will be collecting signatures in support of health care reform. Grab a friend and come out to help pass health care reform this year! Sign up for a time slot that is convenient to your schedule. Please indicate your shift with your RSVP.

Pledge Drive @ the St. Petersburg Free Clinic

Aug 14 Shifts begin at at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm St. Petersburg Free Clinic , 863 3rd Ave North

Please join us to collect signatures in support of health care reform. Grab a friend and come out to help pass health care reform this year! Sign up for a time slot that is convenient to your schedule.

AARP Florida Health Action Now Community Forum

Aug 21 9:30-10:30 am CARES Rao Musunuru, M.D. Enrichment Center, 12417 Clock Tower Parkway, Hudson

AARP hosts a free community discussion for the public on health care reform. RSVP not needed. 866-595-7678

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

Palm Beach County-Wide Call Sen. Nelson Days

Aug 11, Aug 13 Call from home or cell phone

Call Senator Bill Nelson's office and explain why Health Care Reform is absolutely necessary! Call Sen. Nelson at 561-514-0189. Contact: 561-252-5621

Pledge Drive at Jackson Memorial

Aug 11, Aug 12, Aug 13 12:00 Noon The Alamo in the courtyard of the Rehabilitation Hospital at Jackson Memorial, Miami

We urge Health care professionals to come on their break. Let’s show the country the medical profession is behind health care reform.

Dadeland Station Pledge Drive

Aug 11 4:00 pm Dadeland South Metrorail Station,9150 Dadeland Blvd, Miami

Meeting to collect signature in support Health Care reform. Let’s get out and show the nation Miami cares about reform! Please leave contact info when signing up for this event.

Planned Parenthood Health Care Reform Florida Phone Bank
Aug 11 10:30 am-1:00 pm Miami and West Palm Beach offices
Call supporters in the area to educate them on the issue and then “patch them thru” to Congressional offices via the telephone. It’s really fun and a great way to make an immediate difference. As the health care reform process quickly moves along, this kind of immediate grassroots mobilization will make the difference! For more info or RSVP, contact 561-472-9940 or Judith.Selzer@ppsoflo.org

Signatures for Health Care!

Aug 12, Aug 13, Aug 14 11:00 am Government Center, NW 1 St @ NW 1 Ave, Miami

Come help get the signatures that will drive health care reform in America! Please give your phone number in the comments when you confirm. Just look for your fellow person with a clipboard!

Dadeland Station Pledge Drive

Aug 12 11:00 am and 4:00 pm Dadeland South Metrorail Station, 9150 Dadeland Blvd, Miami

Meeting to collect signature in support Health Care reform. Let’s get out and show the nation Miami cares about reform! Please leave contact info when signing up for this event.

Health Care Reform Phone Bank

Aug 12 4:30 pm SEIU , 333 W 41 St, Ste 900, Miami Beach

Let’s Go Miami! Come out to phone bank and show America, Miami supports health care reform.

Ringing for Health Care Reform

Aug 12, Aug 19 4:30-8:30 pm All Broward Realty , 4325 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale

We will be calling South Floridians to speak with them about health care reform, get pledges of public support, and recruit new volunteers. Come and make the change we want happen!

Help Us Swing The Middle!

Aug 12 5:00 pm Palm Beach County Democratic Headquarters, 6266 S Congress Ave., Lantana

The way to win the fight for Health Care Reform is to win over the Independents. Come help us call every single Independent voter in Florida and win their support for Health Care Reform.

Health Care Reform Phone Bank

Aug 12 4:30 pm SEIU, 333 NW 41^st St, Miami Beach

Come out to phone bank and show America, Miami Supports health care reform.

Public Option NOW Healthcare Rally

Aug 13 4:00 pm Sen. Nelson’s office, Coral Gables

Rally for a strong public option must meet four key criteria: it should be national, available to anyone, ready on day one, and publicly run. No weak half-measures--like the regional, private co-op plan--are acceptable.

Stand with the President on Health Care Event

Aug 13 4:00 pm Sen. Nelson’s office, 2925 Salzedo, Coral Gables

Now that Senator Nelson is back in Florida for the August recess, we must turn up the heat for national heathcare reform including a real public option that will keep the insurance companies honest at this critical time.

Dadeland Station Pledge Drive

Aug 13 4:00 pm Dadeland South Metrorail Station, 9150 Dadeland Blvd, Miami

Meeting to collect signature in support Health Care reform. Let’s get out and show the

Sign Wave for Health Care

Aug 13 5:00 pm SW Corner Glades & St. Andrews, Boca Raton

Bring signs to show you want health care to be fixed.

South Miami Phone Bank

Aug 13 5:30 pm Accurso Chiropractic, 6030 SW 40th St, Miami

Come out and help us phone bank and show the nation Miami supports Health Insurance reform!

Miami Beach Pledge Drive

Aug 15, Aug 16 2:00 pm Starbucks in the Marriott, 161 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach

Stand with OFA and other organizations and collect pledges to show support for health care reform.

South Miami Pledge Drive

Aug 15 3:00 pm Panera, Sunset Mall, Miami

Stand with OFA and collect pledges to show the nation Miami supports health care reform.

School of Rock Concert Coconut Grove Pledge Drive!

Aug 15 5:00 pm Peacock Park, Coconut Grove

The School of Rock will be holding a Woodstock concert. This will be a great place to collect signatures. Let ‘s get out the word for health care reform!

Town Hall Meeting On Healthcare

Aug 20 1:00-3:00 pm South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach

Floridians for Health Care and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans will be sponsoring an important health care town hall event on Thursday, August 20, 2009. We will be discussing with elected officials vital information about health care for all Americans.

Planned Parenthood Health Care Reform Florida Phone Bank
Aug 20 1:30pm - 3:30 pm (Volunteers Call From Home)

Call supporters in the area to educate them on the issue and then “patch them thru” to Congressional offices via the telephone. It’s really fun and a great way to make an immediate difference. As the health care reform process quickly moves along, this kind of immediate grassroots mobilization will make the difference! For more info or RSVP, contact 561-472-9940 or Judith.Selzer@ppsoflo.org

Hands Across America for Public Health Insurance

Aug 23 3:00-4:00 pm TBD, Boca Raton

People across the country holding hands at the same time in support of quality, affordable health care - in support of President Obama's desire to make sure the plan has a public option so that costs are driven down for all.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Calling for Change in Health Care Reform

Aug 11, Aug 12, Aug 13 2:00 pm Organizing for America HQ, 292 14th Ave S, Naples
The time is now, this is when we can make GREAT progress in our efforts for affordable Health Care, we need you to help us call for CHANGE.

OFA/Yes, We Can - Help! Collier County
Tuesdays 9:00 am Naples
Volunteers' weekly support of President Obama's Health Care Reform for the USA

FLORIDA AUDIO AND WEB EVENTS ON NATIONAL HEALTH CARE REFORM

Telephone Townhall Meeting on Health Care Reform

Aug 18 1:00-3:00 pm

866-595-7678

The public is invited to join a community conversation with AARP State Director Lori Parham to hear what is happening with health care reform and issues AARP is emphasizing. AARP will share feedback from members across the country and we want to hear from you. No charge, RSVP not necessary. For additional information please call 866-595-7678 or email flaarp@aarp.org

Health Action NOW Tele-Townhall

Aug 20 1:30-2:30 pm 866-595-7678

The public is invited to join AARP in a free Telephone Townhall meeting to learn more about AARP Florida's work toward health care reform. RSVP to mcyr@aarp.org or 727-592-8008 or visit http://www.capitolconnect.com/aarp/alert_detail.aspx?AlertID=6620

Federal Healthcare Reform Conversation with State Rep Janet Adkins

Aug 27 6:00-8:00 pm Florida Comm College, “Red” Bean Training Ctr Bldg, J76346 William Burgess Blvd, Yulee

Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, Inc. and Florida CHAIN have rescheduled this event from Aug 4.

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE REFORM EVENTS & NOTICES

OTHER STATE EVENTS & NOTICES

NORTH FLORIDA

Road to Health Diabetes Toolkit Training

Aug 27 World Golf Village, Jacksonville
This interactive, hands-on workshop will focus on the newly released National Diabetes Education Program "Road to Health Toolkit,” a unique, multi-component primary prevention toolkit developed specifically for promotores and community health workers who work with Hispanic/Latino and African American/African Ancestry communities at risk for type 2 diabetes. It focuses on lifestyle change education that addresses healthy food choices and increased physical activity. Don't miss this opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the toolkit and learn how your organization can benefit from The Road to Health. Space is limited so please contact Catherine_Howard@doh.state.fl.us quickly. Limited travel stipends for this training are available. Preference will be given to participants who also attend the Educational Forum on Aug 28.

Annual Diabetes Educational Forum
August 28 World Golf Village, Jacksonville
The Annual Educational Forum is an opportunity for community leaders to learn
strategies that empower the population living with or at risk for diabetes as they work to improve the quality of their life. Participants will learn At the end of the Educational Forum, the participants will learn key components of community mobilization and apply skills necessary to engage the community in addressing the needs of diverse persons living with diabetes through local health policy recommendations and expenditures. On-line registration is available at www.ahecregistration.org (then choose Northeast Florida).

2010 Children's Week

April 11-16 Tallahassee

A full week of activities has been posted online.

Including Prevention in Health Reform: Prospects and Impacts

March 4-5 Jacksonville, FL

Save the date and note the location of ACHI's 2010 annual conference. It'll be more hands-on practical and offer more peer-to-peer networking than ever, so stay tuned this summer as details emerge on 2010's premier community health and community benefit professional meeting.

Notices

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Diabetes Class in Spanish

Aug 29 8:00 am-2:30 pm Florida Technical College, 12689 Challenger Parkway #130, Orlando

The class is in Spanish and is completely free. Includes screening, breakfast and lunch. Registration required at 407-339-2001.

Hispanic Health Initiatives presenta Cuidando Mi Salud

Primer Viernes de Cada Mes 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Oficina de HHI, 218 Live Oaks Blvd, Casselberry

Entérese si usted está en riesgo de presentar enfermedades cardiovasculares, diabetes y/o tipos de cáncer. ¡Llame hoy para su cita! Gratis. Registracion previa es requerida. 407-339-2001 ó 866-377-2583

Beyond October Campaign Against Cancer

Sept 9 6:00-10:00 pm Rosen Center, Orlando

The Beyond October Campaign, a health and education initiative to fight for a cure and reduce the number of new cancer cases with prevention forums, education, and early diagnosis of cancer. In 2008 the State of Florida had 102,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed. Out of compassion for the plight of women diagnosed with cancer and as a preventive measure, together with community leaders, we are carrying this cancer awareness message to the communities in Central Florida to raise the public’s awareness about the severity of breast and ovarian cancer. Call 407-430-6753.

EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA

Events

2009 Florida Conference on Aging

Aug 24-26 St. Pete Beach, TradeWinds Island Resort.

For more information: 850-222-8877 or www.fcoa.org. For reservations, call 800-808-9833.

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.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

Events

Rep. Yolly Roberson Annual Back to School Health Fair
Aug 15 9:00 am – 2:00 pm MDC North Campus, 11380 NW 27 Ave, Miami
Many health screenings at this Back to School family event. English, Creole, Spanish, all ages. Service providers needed. Call 305-650-0022.

SE Florida Community Cancer Council Meeting

Aug 25 9:30 am Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter

Presenter will be Dr. John Cleveland, who heads the cancer research department at Scripps. After the meeting, Dr. Cleveland will give a tour of his department and laboratory.

Full details, including directions and parking information, will be sent with the usual meeting notice as we get closer to the date.

Miccosukee Tribe Men’s Day

Aug 27 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Miccosukee Reservation Admin Bldg

Participation is invited. This is an opportunity for the community to take advantage of a wide variety of free health screenings, information, and health related services. Location is 20 miles west of Krome Avenue on Tamiami Trail at Mile Marker 70. Help educate the community through health information and presentations. Many organizations bring educational handouts, banners, free samples, discount coupons, door prizes and more. We are anticipating 200 participants. Door prizes will be drawn throughout the day and your organization recognized. Vendor set up by 9:00 am. All vendors are invited for the complimentary lunch buffet. For additional information, contact 305-223-8380 ext. 7277.

Key Clubhouse Debut Event

Aug 27 6:00 – 8:30 pm Miami Science Museum

The event will feature a presentation on the ICCD Clubhouse by guest speakers, including the Directors and Members of Vincent House, a model ICCD Clubhouse in Pinellas Park, Florida. The event is free and open to the public. This will be a unique opportunity to hear about a cutting edge model of psychosocial rehabilitation and meet other people in the community who are interested in mental health recovery. Contact 305-757-4082 or keyclubhouse@earthlink.net.

Southeast Florida Cancer Control Collaborative Meeting

Sept 17 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Mercy Hospital, Miami

Partnership Showcase Presenters requested for a 10-15 minute presentation about your organization. Agenda items requested; agenda and directions will be sent before the meeting. Contact: Phil.Fusca@HCAHEALTHCARE.COM

Notices

Cancer Survivor Smokers or Recent Quitters Wanted for Survey

The Tobacco, Obesity, and Oncology Laboratory at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and UM’s Psychology Department is conducting a qualitative study of cigarette smoking among cancer survivors who are either (1) current smokers or (2) recently quit. The study involves attending a one-session focus group and completing a brief survey. Participants will receive $40 for attending the focus group. 1-877-850-8665 or 305-243-2907

FLORIDA AUDIO CONFERENCES AND WEBCAST

STATEWIDE NOTICES AND CAMPAIGNS

Department of Health Chronic Disease Survey

DOH is currently assessing chronic disease incidence and prevention needs in the State of Florida and we are requesting your help. This short survey was created to obtain public opinion as we plan how to best prevent and control chronic disease in Florida over the next five years. Please take 5-7 minutes to complete this 10-question survey and feel free to forward the survey on to others.

NATIONAL EVENTS & NOTICES

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

Agency for Healthcare Research Quality 2009 Conference
Sept 13–16 Bethesda, MD
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in one of the premier events of the year for exploring the growing number of opportunities for improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in our nation.

Promoting Environmental and Policy Change to Support Healthy Aging

Sept 15-16 Chapel Hill, NC

Research to Practice Symposium sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Prevention Research Centers' Healthy Aging Research Network. Conference sessions will address challenges amenable to environmental and policy change; evidence that supports specific approaches and their outcomes; and promising strategies for practice in the development and promotion of healthy communities for healthy aging. Exhibitor, Scholarship, and Sponsor Opportunities Available

Health Policy Journalism Institute: Covering Health Disparities
Oct 8–9 Las Vegas
National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color is hosting a day-and-a-half long training for journalists. This training is designed to bring attention to health policy issues that affect communities of color and to ensure that journalists have the tools, resources, and information they need to report on these topics.

Community Benefit 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit
Oct 13-14 St. Louis
Planning and reporting community benefit are now key functions of Catholic-sponsored and other not-for-profit health care organizations. The Catholic Health Association, the leader in the community benefit field for 20 years, is offering a one-and-a-half day seminar for new community benefit professionals that covers the basics of community benefit programming. Workshop topics include a framework developing and implementing community benefit programs, policies needed to support these programs, and what counts and doesn’t count as community benefit.

Communities Joined in Health Annual Conference
Oct 22–23 Austin, TX
Integrating Community Health: Success in a New Era. Special conference room rate $98 with free internet.

Diversity Matters: An Ongoing Conversation
Nov 2-3 Vancouver, BC

Proposals are currently being accepted for this conference , which is open to professionals, educators, managers, executives, ethicists and researchers in health care, social services, and community service and development; government leaders and policy-makers; as well as consumers and all those interested,. It focuses on cultural competencies in healthcare, education, research and community services. Among keynote speakers, Dr. Roberto Lewis-Fernandez will present on Reduction of Healthcare Disparities Through Cultural Competence: Barriers and Solutions to Consumer Engagement and The Role of Cultural Idioms of Distress in Psychiatric Diagnosis.

Overcoming Disparities: Building Successful Diabetes and Obesity Programs
Forum: Nov 18-19 Arlington, VA
Each year, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) convenes its Annual Disparities Partnership Forum. The overall goal of the partnership forum is to explore collaborative methods for decreasing type 2 diabetes and obesity in high-risk populations. To request a submission template and call form, please contact Monique Lindsy at mlindsy@diabetes.org.

AUDIO AND WEB EVENTS

ACHI Webinars (Now Upgraded from Phone Conferencing):

Recipe for Developing and Sustaining a Successful Community Benefit Framework
Aug 20 2:00-3:00 pm ET

This webinar will highlight the journeys of two hospitals – Lowell General in Massachusetts and Middlesex in Connecticut – to strengthen their community benefit programs by instituting programmatic, governance, executive, managerial, and community communications practices in keeping with an overall strategy. The presenters will share their “key ingredients” for successfully making community benefit an organizational priority, including board-approved policies and new staff capacity, plans to both get the entire organization involved in community benefit, and to bring together key community partners that share common goals for health and wellness. Registration fee $40 members, $80 non-members

Online Course - Orientation to Healthcare
September 14-25
This two-week online course focuses on the roles of four key groups in the healthcare system: patients, hospitals, physicians, and insurers/managed care organizations. In addition to describing each of these groups, their key characteristics, and their major challenges and issues, this online course will illuminate their interrelationships and relationships with other elements of the healthcare system.

One Community’s Practical Guide to Conducting Successful Community Assessments that Lead to Powerful Outcomes
Sept 17 2:00-3:00 pm ET

This session will present key elements of Healthy Hall’s organization, execution, and use of an assessment for health and broader community improvement. Healthy Hall is an organization of community volunteers and leaders that has guided three community assessment projects in Hall County, Georgia over the past ten years. The presentation will include assessment methodologies, the respective expertise and roles of community partners and of a hired consultant, specific findings that underline the need to focus on disparities reductions, and methods for communicating results in a fashion digestible and usable by the community at large. Registration fee $40 members, $80 non-members

Community Benefit Scorecard: Bridging Community and Health System Goals
Oct 15 2:00-3:00 pm ET

A community benefit scorecard elevates the work of community benefit departments by clearly stating the focus, intent, and accountability of key initiatives. This session will describe the process for selecting elements of the scorecard, including linkages between community collaboratives, health system strategic planning, and operational goals. Registration fee $40 members, $80 non-members

NOTICES

CAMPAIGNS & INITIATIVES

Visit the National Health Information Center for a complete list of the 2009 National Health Observances and contact information for resources

New listings, in order of submission deadlines

Health Foundation of South Florida New Grant Cycle

Preliminary grant proposals due: Aug 14

Invitations for full proposals sent: Aug 28

Full proposals due: Sept 25

Applicants must operate in Broward, Miami-Dade and/or Monroe County. Project proposals must fall under any of these four priority areas: Healthy Lifestyles; Oral Health; Preventive Health Measures; Primary Care

Susan G. Komen for the Cure South Florida Grants for Breast Cancer Screening and Treatment

Deadline: Aug 21, 1:00 pm

Funding requests from nonprofits in Palm Beach, Martin & St. Lucie Counties will be accepted.

Kresge Foundation: $14 Million in New Health Program Grant Opportunities
Application Deadline: Sept 4
The Health Clinic Opportunity Fund targets free clinics, public health clinics and those designated federally qualified health center look-alikes to support and strengthen their capacity to meet both the immediate and long-term health needs of their constituents. The Safety-net Enhancement Initiative seeks to demonstrate how community health centers can address health disparities, enhance service delivery and care, and improve outcomes through collaboration and regional partnerships.

Online Competition to Radically Rethink Mental Health
Application Deadline: Oct 14
Rethinking Mental Health: Improving Community Wellbeing, an online, open source competition co-sponsored by RWJF's Vulnerable Populations Portfolio and Ashoka’s Changemakers, challenges organizations to explore innovations that allow individuals, families, communities and society to move past narrow perceptions and social stigmas of mental health and expand our understanding and collective involvement in finding solutions. awards of $5,000 will be given to three individuals.

Johnson & Johnson/Society for the Arts in Healthcare Grant Funds Available for Arts in Healthcare Programs
Letter of Inquiry Deadline: Oct 15
A total of $60,000 will be awarded to nonprofits and government agencies that are members of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare and whose arts in healthcare programs show evidence of initial impact.

Nominations Open for 2010 Purpose Prize Honoring Older Social Innovators
Deadline: March 5
Five awards of $100,000 each will be given to people over the age of 60 working in a leadership capacity to address societal challenges in the United States or abroad.

Fundraising Training Events

Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund
Deadline: Aug 28

Fundraising Library Orientations

August 20 10:00 am-noon Funding Resource Center Library at the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, 700 South Dixie Highway, Suite 200 in West Palm Beach

September 17 10:00 am-noon Funding Resource Center Library at the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, 700 South Dixie Highway, Suite 200 in West Palm Beach

Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties offers free resources for organizations seeking grant funding? The Funding Resource Center is a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center, Inc., a nationwide network of libraries, community foundations and other nonprofit agencies. The best way to learn about the Center and what it offers is attending a library orientation with Daryl Houston, Program Officer. Spaces fill up quickly so email prowan@cfpbmc.org or call 561-659-6800 to reserve your spot. Registration is strongly recommended since walk-ins cannot be assured of seating (dates are subject to change). To learn more about the library and the resources available please click here.

Continuing listings, in order of submission deadlines

Tom's of Maine's '50 States for Good' Initiative

Deadline: Aug 30
Five awards of $20,000 each will be given to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations working to make lasting, positive changes in their communities. Help your favorite nonprofit get $20,000 in sponsorship funding. Tom’s is looking for applications for community involvement projects. A review panel will narrow down applications to 50 finalists, which will be posted on Tom’s web site for voting to select the 5 projects to be awarded funding.

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida

Deadline: Sept 11

The focus for the Grants Winter Cyle is on community health clinics and outreach programs. Grants will be awarded to diverse, philanthropic solutions that improve program capacity and reduce barriers to access, nurture community health leadership to reinforce local solutions, foster innovation and sustain quality and leverage financial, human and other resources to maximize measurable impact.

Unitarian Universalist Association: Fund for a Just Society
Deadline: Sept 15

The Fund for a Just Society provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and Canada that address issues of social and economic justice. The Fund supports organizations that use community organizing to bring about systemic change leading to a more just society and mobilize with those who have been disenfranchised and excluded from resources, power, and the right to self-determination. Consideration is given to projects that are less likely to receive conventional funding because of the innovative or challenging nature of the work or the economic and social status of the constituency. The maximum grant amount is $15,000; however, most grants range between $6,000 and $8,000. Requests are reviewed two times per year.

Wal-Mart Foundation State Giving Program
Online Application Deadlines: Sept 18

The Wal-Mart Foundation State Giving Program awards grants at the state and regional level to programs that have a strong impact within the communities the company serves. The program provides grants of $25,000 and up in categories including Health and Wellness; these grants strive to improve access to healthcare, reduce healthcare disparities, and promote healthy lifestyles. The Foundation has a particular interest in supporting veterans and military families, traditionally underserved groups, individuals with disabilities, and people impacted by natural disasters.

RWJF Health & Society Scholars
Deadline: Oct 2

The Scholars program provides two years of support to postdoctoral scholars at all stages of their careers to build the United States' capacity for research and leadership to address the multiple determinants of population health and contribute to policy change. The program is based on the principle that progress in the field of population health depends upon multidisciplinary collaboration and exchange. Up to eighteen scholars will be selected to train at one of six nationally prominent universities. Scholars receive annual stipends of nearly $100,000.

Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research Consortium
Deadline: Oct 6
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development solicit cooperative agreement grant applications from institutions to conduct randomized controlled trials to test innovative interventions that address issues immediately germane to the childhood obesity epidemic and runs parallel with a separate Funding Opportunity Announcement.

CVS Caremark Community Grants Program Accepting Grant Applications for Programs Serving Children With Disabilities and the Uninsured
Deadline: Oct 31

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to nonprofits and schools working to provide disabled children and youth under age 21 with health and rehabilitation programs and active play opportunities alongside their non-disabled peers.

The Humana Foundation
Proposals accepted: Nov 1-June 15

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.

Dade Community Foundation

Deadline: Nov 15

Grants will be awarded in broad fields of education, health, human services, arts and culture, environment, economic and community development. Priority will be given to programs or projects that use community relationships as a key strategy for enhancing their reach, effectiveness, and results; build relationships, particularly among diverse ethnic and racial groups; reach and engage those whose needs are not being met adequately by existing community resources; pursue strategies that address new and emerging needs or approach existing ones more effectively; strengthen organizational capacity to improve results for communities and individuals they serve; build on strengths and assets of people and communities and engage them in problem solving; focus on the root causes of a problem; and leverage additional private or public resources, both financial and volunteer. For more information, contact 305-371-2711.

Frueauff Foundation
Deadline: Dec 15
The Frueauff Foundation supports mental health services, organizations serving at-risk youth and other community programs. Since its founding, hospitals and health agencies have been recipients of Foundation awards. Equipment, outreach programs, staff positions, screening and education materials are just a few examples of grants given. Health education programs for at-risk children and their parents, support for the critically ill, AIDS/HIV education programs, and nursing scholarships have all received awards in the past decade. Specific institutions and specific programs, rather than national organizations, are usually given.

Department of Health and Human Services Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy (R21)
Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): December 24, 2009
Application Submission/Receipt Date(s): 25, 2010

NIOSH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings
Application Deadline: May 8, 2011
The purpose of the program is to support high quality conferences/scientific meetings that are relevant to its scientific mission and to the public health.

Innovating Worthy Projects Foundation
Requests are accepted from Jan 1 through Aug 31
The Innovating Worthy Projects Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States that are dedicated to providing direct care or services for children with special needs, acute illnesses, or chronic disabilities. Preference is given to small organizations that might not otherwise be helped. Grants support new ideas and approaches to providing services as well as equipment purchases.

Advancing technology to improve healthcare sevices: Verizon Foundation

Applications accepted: Jan 1 through Nov 30
The mission of the Verizon Foundation is to improve education, literacy, family safety, and healthcare by addressing Verizon's commitment to deliver technology that touches life. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that benefit communities in the locations the company serves within the United States. One of the Foundation’s priority categories is Education and Literacy, with emphasis on innovative, technology-based approaches to literacy and K-12 education. In addition, through the Safety and Health category, the Foundation supports initiatives that contribute to the safety and well-being of families, with emphasis on domestic violence prevention and technology for healthcare and healthcare accessibility.

Chronic Illness Self-Management in Children and Adolescents
Multiple Closing Dates, Jan 10, 2010
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to solicit research to improve self-management and quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic illnesses. Biobehavioral studies of children in the context of family and family-community dynamics are encouraged. Children diagnosed with a chronic illness and their families have a long-term responsibility for self-management. The child with the chronic illness will have a life-long responsibility to maintain and promote health and prevent complications. Research related to biological/ technological factors, as well as, sociocultural, environmental, and behavioral mechanisms that contribute to successful and ongoing self-management of chronic illnesses in children is also encouraged.

Occupational Safety and Health Research
Application Deadline: March 6, 2010
The purpose of this grants program is to develop an understanding of the risks and conditions that are associated with occupational diseases and injuries, to explore methods for reducing risks and for preventing or minimizing exposure to hazardous conditions in the workplace, and to translate significant scientific findings into prevention practices and products that will effectively reduce work-related illnesses and injuries.

Planning Grant for Oral Health Promotion across the Life Span (R21)
Closing date for applications: May 7, 2010, Multiple deadlines
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is intended to encourage and support meritorious oral health promotion research directed at improving oral health and preventing diseases and/or their sequelae across the lifespan.

Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved (R01)
Expiration Date: May 15, 2010
The ultimate goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) with a special review issued by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to solicit Research Project Grant (R01) applications that propose research on health promotion, disease prevention, and health disparities that is jointly conducted by communities and researchers and targets medically underserved areas (MUAs) and medically underserved populations (MUPs) as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved (R21)
Expiration Date: May 15, 2010
The ultimate goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to solicit Exploratory/Developmental (R21) grant applications that propose research on health promotion, disease prevention, and health disparities that is jointly conducted by communities and researchers and targets medically underserved areas (MUAs) and medically underserved populations (MUPs) as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

NIOSH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings
Deadline: May 8, 2011
The purpose of the program is to support high quality conferences/scientific meetings that are relevant to its scientific mission and to the public health.

Community Participation in Research (R01)
Expiration Date: May 8, 2011
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), National Institutes of Health (NIH) solicits R01 grant applications that propose intervention research on health promotion, disease prevention, and health disparities that communities and researchers jointly conduct.

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.

Exploratory/Developmental Grants Program for Basic Cancer Research in Cancer Health Disparities
Deadline: Nov 23, 2011
Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) and the Division of Cancer Biology (DCB), at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), invite grant applications from investigators interested in conducting basic research studies into the causes and mechanisms of cancer health disparities.

Translational Research for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes and Obesity
Deadline: March 1, 2012
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) encourage NIH Research Demonstration and Dissemination Project grant (R18) applications from institutions/ organizations to test the effectiveness of interventions for the prevention and control of diabetes and obesity that have a high potential to be adopted, and sustained in applied health care settings.

Research on Clinical Decision-Making in People with or at-Risk for Life-Threatening Illnesses
Application Deadline: May 7, 2012
This funding opportunity seeks to stimulate research on the decision-making processes made by persons at risk for and those faced with life-threatening illness. These illnesses are ones that almost always lead to death in a fairly short period of time if left untreated, but may be chronic or even cured if dealt with early in the disease process. Decision-making can occur from the point of adopting preventive behaviors through the end of life.

Community-Based Partnerships for Childhood Obesity Prevention and Control: Research to Inform Policy
Deadline: May 7, 2012
The purpose of this FOA, issued by the NICHD, is to enhance childhood obesity research by fostering the formation of local, state, or regional teams consisting of researchers, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., community representatives, public health practitioners or officials, educators) in order to identify research questions and hypotheses, design and implement the relevant research, and translate the research into evidence relevant to potential policy efforts in this area.

Cancer Surveillance Using Health Claims-based Data System
Deadline: May 7, 2012
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), encourages grant applications for research entailing the use of health claims data for cancer surveillance. Cancer surveillance may include assessment of patterns of care, quality, and outcomes of care, and health disparities across the continuum of treatment.

2009 Aetna Foundation Regional Community Investment Programs
Various Deadlines
Information regarding the Regional Community Grants Program and Healthy Community Outreach Program including funding categories, schedule, target markets, and the online application process is now available on the Aetna Foundation website.

Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
Ongoing deadline for Letters of Interest
The Ben & Jerry's Foundation offers competitive grants to not-for-profit, grassroots organizations throughout the United States which facilitate progressive social change by addressing the underlying conditions of societal and environmental problems. Grant applicants need to demonstrate that their projects will lead to societal, institutional and/or environmental change; address the root causes of social or environmental problems; and lead to new ways of thinking and acting. Awards are granted ranging from $1,001 - $15,000.

Nathan Cummings Foundation
Letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time

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
Deadline: Open

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
The mission of the Educational Foundation of America is to improve individual lives and surroundings through education and awareness, in hopes of bettering humanity and the world we inhabit. The Foundation provides grants to progressive nonprofit organizations throughout the United States that offer specific programs with broad impact. The Foundation’s areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the environment, reproductive freedom, theatre, education, medicine, drug policy reform, democracy, peace and national security issues, and human services. Online letters of inquiry are accepted at any time through the website listed above.

Johnson Foundation: Wingspread Conferences
Letters of inquiry accepted at any time.
The mission of the Johnson Foundation is to cultivate ideas that sustain community – people living in harmony with one another and their environment. The Foundation pursues this mission through Wingspread Conferences, small meetings of thoughtful inquiry convened in an atmosphere of candor and purpose. The Foundation co-sponsors conferences with nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, or government agencies that work in the following areas: education, media, family, democracy and community, and sustainable development and the environment. The conferences are held at Wingspread, the Foundation's headquarters and educational conference center located near Racine, WI.

Fulbright Scholar Award

Multiple deadlines
Applications continue to be accepted for some Fulbright Scholar awards for lecturing, research or combined lecturing/research awards in public health during the 2008-2009 academic year. Faculty and professionals in public health may apply for awards specifically in their field, as well as one of the many "All Discipline" awards open to any field.

Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders
Application deadline: Varies
Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders is a collaborative initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for Creative Leadership. The initiative aims to enhance the leadership capacity of community-based nonprofit health organizations serving vulnerable populations. It will develop critical leadership competencies for 270 early- to mid-career professionals through an innovative, sixteen-month leadership development curriculum

Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation Community Improvement Programs
Applications accepted throughout the year.

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
The new online searchable Donors Forum of South Florida database has up-to-date information about funders in South Florida. This resource— which is also available in hard copy — presents continuously updated information about the giving interests and procedures of funders with a track record of investing in the South Florida area and working collaboratively with others. To order, email leot@donorsforumsf.org or call 305/371-7944.

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.

Note: Items in brown are related to health care reform.

NEW SECTION: Health Care Reform Resources

Florida

National

Organizations and Services

New: Florida

New: National

Continued Listings: Florida

Manuals, Guides and Toolkits

New: Florida

New: National

Continued Listings: Florida

Technology and Audio Visual Materials

Media Programming

Web Sites, Web Features

New: Florida

New: National

Continued Listings: Florida

Webinars, Audio, Videos and Films: Web, Rent/Purchase. Theater

Periodicals and Books

Reports and Studies

NEW SECTION: New Health Care Reform Reports

New: Florida Reports

New: National

NEW SECTION: Continued Listings: Health Care Reform Reports

Continued Listings: Florida Reports

HEALTH CARE REFORM RESOURCES

Florida Health Care Reform Resources

Florida SEIU Health Care Reform Database

Florida SEIU invites organizations and individuals to enter their information in a Community Partners database for health care reform efforts.

National Health Care Reform Resources

Kaiser Updates Interactive Health Reform Comparison Tool To Reflect Latest Congressional Action
KFF has updated its interactive side-by-side health reform comparison tool. The online tool allows users to compare any of 12 different major health reform plans, including the House Tri-Committee legislation and the Senate HELP Committee legislation. The comparison tool and many other resources are available on the Foundation’s health reform gateway page, available at, which serves as a clearinghouse of key information, news and analysis about national health reform efforts. Among the resources found there are briefs on key reform concepts and the Foundation’s research and analysis on key issues in health reform, webcasts of reporters-only briefings with key congressional leaders, Kaiser’s polling data, analysis, and news summaries, an editorially independent health policy news service established by the Foundation.

HHS Releases State-Specific Online Reports Highlighting Need for Reform
HHS has released a series of state-specific reports on the “health care status quo,” which she said highlight the urgent need for health reform. The reports include data such as the rising cost of health coverage and the uninsured, and the impact of failing to adequately invest in disease prevention. (6/26/09, DHHS)

Webcast: Will Health Reform Limit Patients' Choices?

How might health reform affect our choices? How could health information technology help us make more intelligent choices? How much choice do we really have now? How much choice do we need? These questions were recently addressed by health policy experts at a National Press Club briefing sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The briefing provided reporters with access to experts and non-partisan research that will continue to inform the reform debate. Panelists included:Uwe Reinhardt, Ph.D., a health economist at Princeton University;Joe Antos, Ph.D., a health economist at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in Washington;Daniel Callahan, Ph.D., a medical ethicist and co-founder of The Hastings Center in New York State; andFormer Congressman Tony Coelho, chair of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care.

Universal Coverage and Access: Critical to Achieving Health Equity

Congressional briefing powerpoint presentation by Ron Pollack. (5/27/09, Families USA)

RAND COMPARE

Rand Corporation’s COMPARE Initiative provides information and tools to help policymakers, the media, and other interested parties understand, design and evaluate health policies. Site includes policy options and analysis, and “HOT” legislation page.

Access Denied video

Accidents Happen video

Children’s Defense Fund encourages all to view and share these videos depicting the importance of health coverage for all children.

I'm fighting for health care reform because... (finish the sentence)
Health care reform isn’t about numbers and statistics – it’s about real problems that people face each day. Sharing your experience can help make complex policy issues understandable for leaders in Washington. Every single one of us -- especially in this tumbling economy -- has either been personally affected by the health care crisis or has a loved one, coworker, friend, or neighbor who has suffered. Families USA wants to hear your story. Sharing is simple -- we've created an easy-to-use tool, so all you have to do is finish the sentence below. Once you’ve given your reason, check back often. Your comments may appear on our site, and we may contact you to ask if we can share your story with members of Congress.

RWJF Health Care Consumer Confidence Index

The inaugural report (June 2009) of the new monthly RWJF Index has been released online. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched a new research tool: the RWJF Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index). The first of its kind, the RWJF Index will provide a monthly snapshot of Americans’ attitudes about health care. Analysis of the data is being provided by the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC). The RWJF Index has begun during this critical moment in the health reform debate to serve as a valuable measurement in the months to come, helping with understanding of how changes in the health care system affect the average health care consumer. These monthly data points can be used to make the case for health reform and position the issue in a broader context.

Health Affairs and RWJF Health Policy Briefs

Health Affairs and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are pleased to announce a new series of Health Policy Briefs aimed at providing clear, accessible overviews of timely and important health policy topics. The first brief explores the current debate over cutting payments to Medicare Advantage plans - the privately run health plans that now serve almost a quarter of Medicare enrollees. Health Policy Briefs will be available at no cost on the Health Affairs Web site, and you may sign up to be alerted to new briefs by email or RSS feed. The briefs will also be available via a direct website link.

Community Catalyst Timeline for State Advocacy Work
Community Catalyst is looking ahead to some of the major opportunities for state advocacy on national health reform in the coming months. The timeline some of the major Congressional activities in the health reform debate and suggested ways for state advocates to be involved and engaged. During these months and beyond, Community Catalyst will continue to provide our partners with alerts, updates, message points, and analyses.

The Healthcare Equality Project
The Healthcare Equality Project (HEP) is a national partnership between community-based and nationwide organizations, faith networks, labor groups, and advocates working together to achieve comprehensive health care reform and health care equality. Its goal is to ensure that health care reform efforts go beyond simply expanding coverage and become an engine for reducing disparities that plague women and racial, ethnic, and other minorities. Its mission is to ensure that the health care reform that is enacted works for everyone. HEP has four specific goals that are designed to build a grassroots and advocacy campaign around health care reform: 1) to develop a public education and advocacy campaign to build awareness of health care disparities among racial and ethnic minorities across the nation; 2) to work with key congressional members to achieve necessary health care reform; 3) to develop and promote policies that address health care disparities; and 4) to strengthen the national network of health care equality advocates, including national organizations, faith-based groups, and student groups.

RWJF Daily News Digest on Health Reform!

Having the right information at the right time is an essential step in changing health care policy and practice for the better. To further this goal, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has launched its first ever Daily News Digest. This new service, focused on health reform, is a comprehensive daily look at what’s happening in the mainstream media, policy press and the blogosphere. Sign up to have this useful resource delivered to your inbox.

Webcast: Health Insurance Exchanges: See How They Run

looks at insurance exchanges and examines the following questions: What is meant by a health insurance exchange, and how might it work? Who would be allowed to seek coverage through the exchange? What rules would govern the conduct of plans offering coverage? What’s in it for the consumer?

Senate Finance Committee Hosts Three Roundtables to Discuss Key Elements of Health Care Reform: Delivery System, Coverage, and Financing

Between April and May, Senate Finance Committee (SFC) Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) hosted a series of three roundtable discussions on health care reform. The roundtable topics covered the health care delivery system, coverage, and financing. These roundtables were intended to encourage discussion between SFC members and health care policy and industry experts. They were also intended to inform the development of a comprehensive health care reform bill later this summer. Soon after each roundtable, the SFC released a policy paper detailing options for addressing each issue. The three roundtables were open to the public, and webcasts and the three policy papers are available on the Finance Committee Web site at www.finance.senate.gov.

ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICES

New: Florida Organizations and Services

New: National

Continued Listings: Florida

Health Insurance Resource Center has been providing consumers with health insurance information and navigation advice since 1984. They include special resources for Florida at http://www.healthinsurance.org/florida

Insurance claim denied? Here's where to get help
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Investigates complaints against insurers, including denials of claims. Online: floir.com Phone: 1-877-693-5236
Subscriber Assistance Program: Reviews disputes between individuals and their managed-care plans. Online: fdhc.state.fl.us/MCHQ/Consumer/SPSAP/ Phone: 1-888-419-3456
Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, SHINE: Helps consumers navigate the Medicare appeals process. Online: floridashine.org Phone: 1-800-963-5337
Medicare Rights Center: National group helps Medicare clients understand their rights and benefits. Online: medicarerights.org Phone: 1-800-333-4114
Florida Legal Services: Free help for low-income adults denied prescription-drug coverage from Medicaid or Medicare Part D. Online: floridalegal.org Phone: 1-800-436-6001

Medicare Access Network of Florida
Do you know of any Medicare Part D beneficiaries who have questions about their plan? If so, feel free to direct them to one of the SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) free counseling sites for help that are located throughout Broward and Miami-Dade. To make an appointment, or for questions, call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1- 800-963-5337).

South Florida Smoking Cessation Programs
South Florida Cancer Control Collaborative has also started a list of smoking cessation links. Click here to view the list.

(Florida) Hispanic Health Initiatives
In Florida, almost half of the 3 million uninsured adults are Hispanic. Central Florida has continued to see the rates of the uninsured increase and the availability of culturally competent services decrease. One agency, Hispanic Health Initiatives, Inc (HHI), is the only health services facility in Central Florida created to specifically address the needs of the Hispanic community. Since its inception in June of 2000, this volunteer-driven, community-based organization has worked to connect medically underserved families with free or low-cost health care services. Read more.

The Florida Discount Drug Card
is designed to lower the cost of prescriptions for Florida residents who are 60 and older and without prescription drug coverage or who fall into the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage gap; OR under age 60, without prescription drug coverage, and with an annual family income of less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. Qualifying incomes include those below: $30,636 (individual); $41,076 (family of two); $61,956 (family of four). It can give eligible participants a discount on virtually all drugs and be used at all participating pharmacies.

Florida Relay Service 711

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.

MANUALS, GUIDES, TOOLKITS

New: Florida

New: National

Continued Listings: Florida

TECHNOLOGY AND AUDIO/VIDEO RESOURCES

Media Programming

Web Sites, Web Features & Databases

New: Florida Listings

Florida CHARTS New Interactive Community Maps Application

This application displays maps for births, deaths, fetal and infant deaths and U.S. Census data. All data is displayed at the census tract level. Users may choose to display quartiles based on all Florida census tracts or calculate results for only one county’s data. The maps also have the tables for the indicator data and census tract reports. There’s a users’ guide on the web page. You can view maps that show the distribution of deaths (numbers, not rates) from cancer and for selected cancer sites – for the state or by county. Under the “births” section, it has the percentage of births to women who smoke. The census data is still from the 2000 census or before (ok for areas that haven’t experienced much change).

New: National

Continued Listings: Florida

Tobacco-Free Business Florida

Tobacco-Free Florida has created a new satellite website for businesses. The site has posters that can be downloaded to display at workplaces, as well as a pledge to be tobacco free. If the business takes the pledge, they are automatically entered to win a $500 giftcard for an employee lunch! The phone number for the state's toll free tobacco cessation quitline, Florida Quit-for-Life Line, is 1- 877-U-CAN-NOW.

Updated Hospital & Health Plan Data on Florida Health Finder

The Agency for Health Care Administration announced the release of updated health plan quality and hospital inpatient data on Florida Health FinderConsumers can access and compare the most recent quality of care and patient satisfaction measures for Florida HMOs and PPOs. In addition, the website now contains hospital inpatient data for July 2007 through July 2008. The most current Hospital Financial Data Book is also available, showing an analysis of hospital financial results for fiscal years ending in 2007.

Kids Count

Annie E. Casey Foundation recently updated its online database, , which contains state-, city-, and now community-level data for more than 100 measures of child well-being. This database can generate custom reports for specific geographic areas and compare them based on a particular topic (for example, poverty, education, and health/health insurance).

Florida Census Data
Here is a very helpful link to a map of Florida that has each county hyperlinked to its US Census data, including: racial/ethnic populations, education level, income, federal dollars they receive, etc.

Updates to www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov Website

AHCA has announced a major redesign of this site and the addition of a new hospice comparison tool. The site contains interactive tools that give Floridians the opportunity to compare pricing and performance for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, emergency rooms, health plans, nursing homes, and pricing on prescription drugs. The easy to use website provides health outcome information for over 150 conditions and procedures in Florida’s health care facilities and is linked to an extensive health care encyclopedia.

statehealthfacts.org

This web site recently added new data on Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare. New data from the Congressional Research Service on CHIP enrollment and projected federal allocations have been added for all states and the nation. In addition, data on the distribution of enrollment in CHIP by family income level for fiscal year 2008 and the projected federal CHIP allotments under the CHIP Reauthorization Act for FY 2009 are available for all states and the nation. Statehealthfacts.org also added new data from HHS and the Government Accountability Office about temporary federal Medicaid relief provided by the federal economic stimulus plan to states from October 2008 through March 2009, along with the total estimated federal stimulus allocations to each state through December 2010. The Web site also added new data from an analysis by the Urban Institute and the Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured of 2005 CMS data on dual eligibles. The new data include Medicaid spending for dual eligibles by service, Medicaid spending per dual eligible, dual eligibles as a percent of total Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and the distribution of dual eligible enrollment.

SHADAC Launches Redesigned State Health Access Assistance Web Site
The new RWJF Web site gives users easy access to research and resources related to issues of health insurance coverage, data collection methods and state health policy.

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

Florida's Community and Migrant Health Centers Brochure UPDATED 9/07

A low literacy brochure describing services offered at Florida's CHCs with a map of all CHC locations and phone numbers. English Brochure Spanish Brochure Haitian Creole Brochure

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
The Florida Health Policy Center has announced the launch of an independent, free, non-profit news service: Florida Health News Inc. FHN will post health-related stories reported around the state, highlight the Florida impact of national stories, and track state health legislation. The news service also will feature original coverage of major health policy developments and a free Monday-through-Friday news service. You can visit the site and subscribe to the e-mail news service by clicking on the link: www.FloridaHealthNews.org. To send your comments, story tips and news of conferences and other events, or get more information, contact pat.curtis@floridahealthnews.org or 850/556-1668.

Florida Health Insurance Coverage of Children 0-18 (2004-2005)
Kaiser Family Foundation has released information about this on-line resource.

Florida Association of Community Health Centers (FACHC)

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
A new Web site for Florida health-care consumers officially launches today, courtesy of the Florida Hospital Association. The site offers links to information on doctors, hospitals and health-care plans as well as checklists to help consumers ask the right questions. It is intended largely as a portal to other, established sites. There are links to sites for Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, among others.

State of Florida Health Care Consumer Websites
The recently expanded FloridaCompareCare.gov aims to improve care and reduce costs by giving citizens the tools to compare outcomes and prices between health care providers and medical services. Through this website one can see data on certain conditions and procedures related to quality of care, pricing and performance at the state’s hospitals and ambulatory (outpatient) surgery centers. In 2005, Florida became the first state to publicly report infection and mortality rates in each hospital. In July 2006, Florida became the first state to publicly report separate pediatric quality of care data. In addition, adult data can now be broken out specific to ages 65 and over. Additional new breakdowns include types of facilities.

FloridaHealthStat.com provides health care information to assist consumers, health care professionals, and researchers in making well-informed health care decisions and in researching the status of health care in Florida. MyFloridaRx.com provides consumers with the retail prices of the most commonly used prescribed drugs by pharmacy across Florida. For questions or comments regarding any of Florida’s consumer websites, contact 850/922-7036.

Medicaid Applications Online 24/7 and in Neighborhoods
Local partners can direct families to their area sites or online to apply for Medicaid and other benefits. The Web Application is generally preferable as the data makes it into the Florida system more quickly and there is a reduced chance of data entry errors.

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 Florida. The site also provides additional information for the five profiled professions –medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, chiropractic physicians, podiatric physicians and advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs).

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

Webinars, Audio, Videos and Films: Web, Rent/Purchase, Theater

Treatments on Different Races

CNN recently launched a video discussion on race and healthcare, Treatments on Different Races, as part of a week-long focus on health care issues. CNN anchors discussed disparities in disease outcomes between minorities and whites. According to the anchors, one of the most striking disparities is differences in survival rates—for example, the survival rate for black men that have strokes is 25 percent compared to 52 percent for a white men.

PERIODICALS AND BOOKS

Cover the Uninsured Weekly News Digest

is currently in its seventh year of providing health coverage advocates and activists from across the United States with leading newspaper editorials, articles and columnist op-eds. This year, as America continues a once-in-a-generation national conversation on health reform, RWJF has expanded its health and health care e-mail products to give you more flexibility than ever to customize the topics, frequency of updates and delivery format that work best for you. We'll also be making a few slight changes to some existing products. You can automatically import stories to your blog, Web page or social networking site either through the Cover the Uninsured Widget or by signing up for the RSS Feed. And, for those who prefer daily e-mail clips or updates on other aspects of health care, RWJF offers the Health Reform Daily Clips as well as subject-specific Content Alerts to inform you of interesting research and studies. Register for these and other e-mails (or update your existing selections) by visiting RWJF.org’s E-mail Subscription page.

Monthly Survey of Americans' Attitudes About Health Care from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index

The RWJF Index is a monthly survey that evaluates consumer confidence in American health care. The RWJF Index is created from data collected by the Surveys of Consumers, a monthly survey of 500 households conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. Analysis of the data is provided by the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC).

REPORTS AND STUDIES

New Listings

New Health Care Reform Reports

New: Florida Reports

State, U.S. Hospital Rankings Differ

Judging by Florida’s online healthcare guide, Jackson Health System in Miami is among an elite group of 14 best hospitals for treating heart attacks. But a federal site shows Jackson as among the country’s worst. Which are we supposed to believe? (7/22/09, Health News Florida)

New Listings: Medicaid

Medicaid Non-Emergency Out-of-Network Payment Study
A new report assesses the financial impact and administrative burden that out-of-network claims pose in Medicaid managed care. The authors of the report recommend a federally mandated payment standard for Medicaid health plans similar to that used in the Medicare Advantage managed care program.The report was commissioned by Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA) and the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP). Investigators found that out-of-network claims represented at least 8 percent of total Medicaid claims costs, with most out-of-network claims disputes coming from hospitals, pediatric subspecialty providers, academic medical centers and other public hospitals. (7/17/09, Lewin Report)

New Listings: Children's Health Care

Childhood Obesity Research Poll Shows Environment, Physical Activity Matter
Recently, RWJF asked Web site visitors and subscribers to choose the most influential childhood obesity research for the past year. The results are in, and the five articles receiving the most votes demonstrate the perceived importance of environment. (7/29/09, RWJF)

Landmark Study Reveals Majority of District Wellness Policies Fail to Provide Healthy School Environment for Kids
Over the past four decades, the obesity rate has more than quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11 and more than tripled for adolescents ages 12 to 19. And while obesity has increased in all segments of the population, rates are significantly higher among specific ethnic and racial groups. Obese children are at increased risk for serious health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and asthma. (July 2009, RWJF)

CHIP Tips: New Federal Funding Available to Cover Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women

highlights new opportunities for covering children under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). The brief examines how the new option works and provides information about eligibility requirements. In addition, it explains the choices states face when deciding whether to pursue this option. (7/10/09, KFF)

New Listings: Medicare

New Study Finds Positive Developments, Persistent Problems In Medicare Drug Plan

A new study finds more seniors are covered by a Medicare drug plan and report greater savings, but gaps in coverage and other problems still persist. (7/22/09, US News & World Report)

Medicare Part D Update—Lessons Learned and Unfinished Business

Since Medicare Part D went into effect in 2006, Part D plans’ deductibles, initial coverage limits and catastrophic coverage limits have increased by an estimated 20 percent, resulting in higher out-of-pocket costs for Part D enrollees. In addition, while cost-sharing for generic drugs remains low, median cost-sharing for brand-name drugs has grown by about 36 percent. (July 2009, New England Journal of Medicine)

Medicare Prescription Drug Plans in 2009 and Key Changes since 2006: Summary of Findings

includes data on the number of drug plans available, premium increases, and the coverage gap (the “doughnut hole”). The brief also addresses cost-sharing as a part of benefit design, as well as the specialty tier most Part D plans use to cover high-cost medications. (6/11/09, KFF)

Medicare’s Role for Women

examines the demographics of women who rely on Medicare, including their health status and income levels. It also looks at the benefits and cost-sharing requirements of Medicare and the prevalence of other types of coverage, such as job-based insurance or Medigap. For women, who are disproportionately low-income and who have more chronic conditions than men, Medicare is a particularly critical source of retirement security. (6/11/09, KFF)

New Listings: Federal/State Budgets

New Fiscal Year Brings No Relief From Unprecedented State Budget Problems

At least 48 states have addressed or still face shortfalls in their budgets for fiscal year 2010 totaling $163 billion. This includes new shortfalls of $24 billion that have opened up in the adopted 2010 budgets of at least 12 states and the District of Columbia, just two weeks into the new fiscal year. (7/29/09, CBPP)

Policy Points: New Fiscal Year Brings Continued Trouble for States Due to Economic Downturn

This snapshot of state budget problems has been updated to reflect the new data on state budget cuts and shortfalls included in the above analyses. (7/29/09, CBPP)

New Listings: Health Insurance, Health Care Costs

Fund Failure To Protect: Why The Individual Insurance Market Is Not A Viable Option For Most U.S. Families
Over the last three years, nearly three-quarters of people who tried to buy coverage in this market never actually purchased a plan, either because they could not find one that fit their needs or that they could afford, or because they were turned down due to a preexisting condition. Even people enrolled in employer-based plans are spending larger amounts of their income on health care and curtailing their use of needed services to save money. (7/21/09, Commonwealth Fund)

A Benchmark For Coverage: How The FEHBP Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option Plan Covers Medical Care For Patients With Serious Chronic Conditions

"[T]he most popular health insurance plan among federal employees offers adequate and affordable care for people with serious chronic diseases, making it a good starting point for defining minimum coverage benefits in health care reform legislation," writes an ACSCAN description of its recent report done in collaboration with the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. When comparing "the adequacy and affordability of coverage held by most federal employees to people with cancer, heart disease and diabetes," researchers found "benefits covered under the Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option plan are comprehensive, and that cost sharing for routine care is modest. However, out-of-pocket costs for patients with a serious illness are substantial, totaling $5,000 per year for patients getting all of their care from a subset of network providers designated as 'preferred' and reaching $7,000 per year for out-of-network care." (7/22/09, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network)

Annual Medical Spending Attributable to Obesity: Payer- and Service-Specific Estimates

Using data from 1998 and 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS) - "a nationally representative survey of the civilian noninstitutionalized population that quantifies a person's total annual medical spending by type of service and source of payment" - the authors estimate the health cost of obesity in the U.S. is $147 billion. "Across all payers, per capita medical spending for the obese is $1,429 higher per year, or roughly 42 percent higher, than for someone of normal weight. And although health reform may be necessary to address health inequities and rein in rising health spending, real savings are more likely to be achieved through reforms that reduce the prevalence of obesity and related risk factors, including poor diet and inactivity" (7/27/09, Health Affairs)

Investment in Community Health Centers Can Save States Millions of Dollars
Investment in community-based health centers could save states millions of dollars a year, according to a new study "Community Health Centers in Indiana: State Investments and Returns" conducted by faculty and staff at The George Washington University (GW) School of Public Health and Health Services. (7/31/09, ASPH Friday Letter)

Study: Expenditures are ‘Imperfect Measure of Community Benefit’
Policy makers should hesitate to impose new charitable expectations on tax-exempt hospitals, according to anew study. “It would be wise to defer further policy changes regarding tax exemption of nonprofit hospitals until the effects of Schedule H are seen,” the authors conclude. “Given also the possibility of larger policy changes to address the problem of cost and the uninsured, we should hesitate to impose new charitable expectations.” The study examines community benefit activities reported by Maryland's nonprofit hospitals to evaluate whether policy makers should establish charitable thresholds for tax-exempt hospitals. Among other policy considerations, the authors say, “Expenditure data should be supplemented with information about how hospitals assess community needs, set priorities for addressing them, and evaluate the results of their efforts. Such information may also help reveal whether substantial differences in hospitals' community benefit activities reflect differences among served communities and hospitals' resources.” (7/23/09, AHA News Now)

Chronic Illness Can Mean Chronic Financial Burden
reports that over a two-year period, 20 percent of nonelderly adults who had a chronic health condition spent more than 5 percent of their income on out-of-pocket expenses and health insurance premiums. Among people with three or more chronic conditions, the proportion spending 5 percent of income—39 percent—was nearly double. (7/23/09, Commonwealth Fund)

Employers See Value in Workplace Wellness Programs
Perks matter, according to a new Health2Resources’ survey of workplace wellness incentive programs. Of the 372 small, medium and large companies surveyed, 64% use incentives for some kind of employee health, wellness or disease-management program, and “83% of those who have measured [return on investment] say the programs return a better than 1:1 return.” Employees are spending an average of $329 this year, up from $204 in 2008, to help keep workers fit. The most commonly used incentives are premium reductions, followed by merchandise discounts and gift cards. “The use of incentives in today’s health and wellness programs is almost uniformly believed among employers of all sizes to boost program success and return value,” says the report. (7/28/09, AHA News Now)

Setting a National Minimum Standard for Health Benefits: How Do State Benefit Mandates Compare with Benefits in Large-Group Plans?

compares state-mandated benefits with the services and providers covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) Blue Cross and Blue Shield standard benefit package. With few exceptions, the FEHBP plan either meets or exceeds the benefits that state mandates require. Under a national standard, states would still have the option of providing other benefits above the national standard. (6/23/09, Commonwealth Fund)

Families with Mixed Eligibility for Public Coverage: Navigating Medicaid, CHIP, and Uninsurance

finds that, in families with multiple children who have different eligibility statuses, there is a 26 percent chance that one or more children will be uninsured. Mixed eligibility occurs most often in families with children of different immigration statuses, where older, foreign-born children may not be eligible for the public coverage their younger, U.S.-born siblings can receive. Medicaid income eligibility thresholds that are linked to age also play a role: In some families, older children are eligible for CHIP, while younger children are eligible for Medicaid. (6/23/09, Health Affairs)

New Listings: Health Disparities

Study Finds African Americans Have Highest Obesity Rate in the United States
A new report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that non-Hispanic black Americans have the highest rate of obesity in the United States among major racial groups, a statistic that applies in most states, HealthDay News reports. (7/17/09, MMWR)

Achieving Optimal Health and Healthcare for All Children: How We Can Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Children's Health and Healthcare

After compiling data on key racial/ethnic disparities across children's health and health care, the report proposes evidence-based policies to target health disparities in children. Among other things, the author appeals for health care reform to "retain or enhance critical components of current Medicaid and CHIP programs, including consumer protections, language services, standards on access to care and cultural competency, comprehensive benefits, and limited or no cost sharing" and an extension of "insurance coverage to all children, including both documented and undocumented immigrants." (7/20/09, First Focus)

Suburban Poverty and the Health Care Safety Net

"Although suburban poverty has increased in the past decade, the availability of health care services for low-income and uninsured people in the suburbs has not kept pace," write the authors of a recent study that offers a "community-level examination of the suburban safety net: the health care providers and services available to low-income people in the suburbs" from the five metropolitan areas of Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Miami and Seattle. (7/30/09, Center for Studying Health System Change)

Making Progress on Health Care Disparities

assesses the progress made by the National Health Plan Collaborative (NHPC), a collection of health insurance companies and private and public organizations that works to improve the quality of health care for racial and ethnic minorities. The report looks at the NHPC’s activities that were designed to encourage and support health plans’ leadership in their work on disparities. It also assesses plans’ ability to collect data to better identify disparities. (6/12/09, Mathematica)

New Listings: Other Health Issues

Emergency Department Utilization and Capacity
A new Synthesis report describes what is known, and importantly what is not known, about hospital EDs in the United States. The authors address key questions about the performance and sustainability of hospital EDs and what patterns of ED utilization reveal about the functioning of the U.S. health sector overall. (July 2009, RWJF)

New AHRQ Evidence Report on Community Health Worker Effectiveness Available
A new AHRQ evidence report says that community health workers can improve appropriate use of some cancer screening services among minority and low-income patients and may improve their health knowledge. However, the report could not determine other ways these workers impact health behaviors, health outcomes, or utilization of other health services because of conflicting or absent study findings. The researchers found evidence that community health workers can be effective for improving people’s knowledge on preventive health measures. Community health workers also seem to increase use of cervical cancer screening, mammography screening, and asthma self-management. However, the researchers did not find evidence that community health workers were more effective than other health care interventions when it comes to getting people into the clinic for clinical breast examination, colorectal cancer screening, management of their chronic diseases, and for most maternal and child health indicators. (7/23/09, AHRQ Electronic Newsletter)

Continued Listings: Health Care Reform Reports

The Clock Is Ticking: More Americans Losing Health Coverage
Each week, another 44,230 Americans lose health coverage. That adds up to a staggering 2.3 million people losing coverage per year, which further makes the case for the urgency of action on health reform. This new report provides the first ever state-by-state data on the number of people who are expected to lose health coverage between the beginning of 2008 and the end of 2010. Numbers are broken down per week, per month, and per year. (7/16/09, Families USA)

Should Health Benefits Be Taxed So More Can Be Insured?
Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the latest in a series of Health Policy Briefs, which provide objective, non-partisan analysis of policy proposals related to health reform. (7/9/09, Health Affairs)

Private and Public Insurance Choices Would Help Reduce Administrative Health Care Costs by $265 Billion Over 10 Years

As lawmakers debate how to pay for an overhaul of the nation's health care system, a new report from The Commonwealth Fund projects that including both private and public insurance choices in a new insurance exchange would save the United States as much as $265 billion in administrative costs from 2010 to 2020. Congressional leaders are attempting to keep 10-year federal budget costs of health care reform legislation under $1 trillion. (7/16/09, Commonwealth Fund)

Fork in the Road: Alternative Paths to a High Performance U.S. Health System

Expanding health coverage to nearly all Americans through a national insurance exchange could reduce national health expenditures by between $1.2 trillion and $3 trillion over 11 years, estimates a new study. The study estimates that an insurance exchange offering a choice of private health plans could save an estimated $1.2 trillion over 11 years, when combined with certain other reforms proposed by a Commonwealth Fund commission. Including in the exchange a public plan that reimburses health care providers at rates midway between current Medicare and private plan rates could save $2 trillion over 11 years, while a public plan that reimburses providers at current Medicare rates could save $3 trillion, the study adds. (6/24/09, Commonwealth Fund)

Cost Implications of Three Health Reform Scenarios, with Alternative Public Plan Options

A comprehensive approach to health insurance, provider payment, and care delivery system reforms has the potential to slow health care cost increases while achieving near-universal coverage. The potential savings for families, businesses, and the federal government vary markedly, however, depending on whether or not a public insurance plan option is included and how such a plan is structured, according to a new analysis from The Commonwealth Fund. (6/24/09, Commonwealth Fund)

AFL-CIO 2009 Health Care for America Survey

The results of the online 2009 Health Care for America Survey, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America, reveal deep problems that must be fixed. A total of 23,460 people responded to the survey, which was conducted between April 1 and May 31, 2009. And more than 6,000 people took the time to tell heart-wrenching stories about the toll of health care costs, lack of insurance, systemic flaws in our health care system and the economic downturn. (July 2009, AFL-CIO)

Health benefit tax could single out Florida
Employer-based health insurance in South Florida costs 21% more than the national average, so the region would be in the cross-hairs if a Senate proposal to tax the most expensive plans goes anywhere. (7/11/09, Miami Herald)

Three Proposals to Pay for Health Care Reform: Impacts on People in Your State
State Fact Sheets and Analysis

Congress will likely pay for health care reform partly by finding savings in the existing health care system and partly by raising revenue in other ways. There are several ways that Congress can raise this additional revenue without hurting families who are already struggling to pay for health care and other necessities. CTJ has analyzed three of these progressive revenue options -- the House Ways and Means Committee surcharge proposal, the President's proposal to limit itemized deductions for high-income taxpayers, and a proposal formulated by CTJ to make the Medicare tax fairer and more progressive. (July 2009, Citizens for Tax Justice)

Some States May Have to Foot More of the Health Care Overhaul Bill
Thus far, battle lines in the health care debate "have been drawn largely in partisan terms," but due to the fact that certain states will have to bear more of the costs of reform, "lurking regional divisions could fracture Congress even further" and make it more difficult to find a compromise. (7/6/09, Los Angeles Times)

Changes to the Tax Exclusion of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Premiums: A Potential Source of Financing for Health Reform

"Many have suggested that reducing or eliminating the tax exclusion of employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) could generate significant additional tax revenue to fund expansions in health insurance coverage," write the authors of a recent paper that explores "revenue and distributional consequences of several policy options that would alter the ESI tax exclusion. The paper examines the "a cap, or dollar limit, on the amount of employer-sponsored health insurance premiums excluded from taxable income" as well as "an index that determines how this cap might grow over time." The authors conclude, "in addition to providing a source of funding for health reform and incentives for seeking less expensive coverage, limiting the tax exclusion would mitigate the huge inequities built into the current treatment of employer contributions to premiums." (6/1/09, Urban Institute)

Medicare Offers Mixed Lessons For Possible 'Public Plan'

Of Medicare, which provides coverage to more than 45 million elderly and disabled, NYT says: "How closely a new public plan would resemble Medicare is unclear. Still, Medicare's record offers insights into the benefits and pitfalls of public health care. While it has driven down costs though its sheer market dominance, Medicare has also been extremely slow in using its power to encourage or compel more effective health care. And, of course, providing health care for older Americans has been expensive. Medicare is expected to represent an estimated 13 percent of next year's federal budget. (7/4/09, New York Times)

Most Americans Want Health Reform But Fear Its Side Effects
A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill, according to a new poll. Sixty-two percent of Americans support the public plan option under health reform, but when respondents were told having a public plan meant some health insurers would go out of business, support dropped to 37 percent. (6/24/09, Washington Post/ABC News)

Health Affairs/RWJF Policy Brief: A Public Health Insurance Plan
Strong divisions among lawmakers and interest groups have developed over whether or not a public plan should be included in health reform legislation. Supporters argue that a plan could lower administrative costs and leverage greater bargaining power to reduce health care costs for enrollees. Those opposed to a public plan say that a public plan would not be fiscally responsible or sustainable. Opponents also argue that a new government-run plan would crowd private insurance companies out of the market and eventually lead to a universal system of government-run health care. (6/19/09, RWJF)

Primary-Care Doctor Shortage May Undermine Reform Efforts
As the debate on overhauling the nation's health-care system exploded into partisan squabbling this week, virtually everyone still agreed on one point: There are not enough primary-care doctors to meet current needs, and providing health insurance to 46 million more people would threaten to overwhelm the system. (6/20/09, Washington Post)

Health Reform & Adolescents

A new report finds that many American adolescents are suffering from unmet physical, reproductive and behavioral health needs. The report finds that many adolescents are uninsured and have limited options for purchasing insurance that meets their unique health needs. also explores the issues of patient confidentiality, finding that the vast majority of health insurance agencies violate adolescents’ privacy by mailing home an explanation of benefits statement for services billed by providers. This often discloses sensitive and confidential services such as STD screenings and treatment. (6/26/09, First Focus)

New Report: Private and Public Insurance Choices Would Help Reduce Administrative Health Care Costs by $265 Billion Over 10 Years
As lawmakers debate how to pay for an overhaul of the nation's health care system, a new report from The Commonwealth Fund projects that including both private and public insurance choices in a new insurance exchange would save the United States as much as $265 billion in administrative costs from 2010 to 2020. (7/16/09, Commonwealth Fund)

House Health Bill’s High-Income Surcharge: A Reasonable Approach

“The House surcharge proposal is reasonable and well-targeted. In recent decades, incomes have grown disproportionately for households at the top of the income scale, while their taxes have fallen substantially. Moreover, despite charges to the contrary, the proposal would have only a small impact on small businesses.” (7/17/09, CBPP)

Legislating Under the Influence Health Care Report
A recent poll found that 60 percent of voters believe Congress puts the interests of campaign contributors over constituents, and 79 percent are worried that dependence on large campaign contributions will prevent Congress from tackling the important issues facing America today. A look at the numbers shows that citizens are right to worry. Major health care interests have spent $1.4 million per day this year lobbying Congress, so you can bet the legislative battle will not simply rest on the merits of each side’s argument. Health care-related industries wield tremendous influence in Washington and have sustained an expensive, high-intensity campaign to protect their own interests. (6/24/09, Common Cause)

Avalere Analysis of Proposed Elimination of Coverage Gap

Proposed health reform legislation from the House of Representatives will completely eliminate the Part D doughnut hole in 14 years, but would provide more immediate assistance to people using high-cost specialty drugs by progressively narrowing the coverage gap. (June 2009, Avalere Health)

Senate Finance Committee Faces Difficult Choices In Lowering Cost of Health Bill
Subsidy Changes Could Leave Some Without Affordable Coverage

The Senate Finance Committee is seeking to reduce the cost of its health reform bill to approximately $1 trillion over ten years, but faces difficult choices in doing so. Among the modifications it is considering are changes in subsidies intended to help low- and moderate-income families and individuals afford insurance. Some of these changes which would make it more difficult for moderate-income households (those between 300 percent and 400 percent of the poverty line) to afford insurance, which would likely result in a number moderate-income people remaining uninsured. At the same time, these changes would be preferable to changes that would adversely affect people with incomes below 300 percent of the poverty line, where the consequences of rolling back subsidies or benefit packages would be still more severe. (7/1/09, CBPP)

Health Disparities: A Case for Closing the Gap
The United States spends more than any other nation in the world on health care. Despite consistent increases in spending, disparities among demographic groups persist. Low-income Americans and racial and ethnic minorities experience disproportionately higher rates of disease, fewer treatment options, and reduced access to care. With unemployment on the rise, the disparities already apparent among these groups will continue to increase. This new report demonstrates the need for reform that reduces costs to make health care affordable; protects a patient's choice of doctors, hospitals, and insurance plans; invests in prevention and wellness; and assures quality, affordable health care for all Americans. (June 2009, US DHHS)

Reducing Medicaid and Medicare Drug Costs Could Help Pay For Health Reform

By lowering the costs that Medicaid and Medicare pay for prescription drugs, Congress could generate substantial savings to help pay for comprehensive health reform that achieves universal coverage. (6/11/09, CBPP)

Maintaining Current Value of Itemized Deductions For High - Income Taxpayers Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform

If Congress rejects the President’s proposal to help pay for health care reform by limiting the value of itemized deductions for high-income filers, it should at least prevent those subsidies from expanding in 2011, as they would under current law. Simply keeping the value of itemized deductions for filers in the top two brackets at their current levels would raise $68 billion over ten years according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. (6/10/09, CBPP)

Some Media Reports Mischaracterize CBO Estimate of Senate “HELP” Health Reform Bill; Final “HELP” Bill Likely To Cover Many More People Than Partial Draft CBO Analyzed

The news media are widely reporting that, according to a partial and preliminary Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, health reform legislation that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) is developing would cut the number of uninsured by only 16 million people while costing $1 trillion over ten years. That conclusion, however, is incorrect. The CBO analysis covers only a part of the HELP plan (the parts for which the Committee gave CBO detailed specifications) and does not include major elements of the plan that would further substantially reduce the number of uninsured. (6/16/09, CBPP)

Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System

This report aims to provide quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans and includes recommendations to improve quality and control costs. Authors Howard Baker, Tom Daschle and Bob Dole address key issues, including the need for strong insurance reforms that require guaranteed issue; the elimination of medical underwriting for pre-existing conditions and rating limitations; new state and regional coverage options through exchanges; reforms that constrain cost growth; and financial assistance through Medicaid and tax credits. The two-year consensus-building process has been supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (6/17/09, The Leaders' Project on the State of American Health Care)

New Polls Find Support For Health Reform, Fear Of Costs
A series of new polls show support for major health care reform, but trepidation about certain policy proposals, and anxiety about quickly growing health care costs, the possibility of losing coverage, and the federal budget deficit in general. (6/19/09; AP, WSJ, NYT, SF Chronicle in MedNews Today)

Insurers Support Coverage Mandate Because It's Good for Business
Having previously fought the health care reform efforts of President Bill Clinton, the health insurance industry is now supporting a major overhaul of the system, particularly a requirement that everyone purchase coverage, mostly because it "faces a bleak future" if such a mandate is not adopted. (6/7/09, LA Times)

Employer Requirement Under Consideration For Senate Finance Committee Health Bill Could Discourage Hiring of Low-Income, Minority, Disabled Workers

"While an employer responsibility requirement is an essential component of health care reform, a proposal that the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee are considering for the forthcoming health legislation is flawed and would have serious unintended consequences, particularly for low-income and minority workers and workers with disabilities." (6/24/09, CBPP)

The Last Piece of the Puzzle: Providing High-Quality, Affordable Health Coverage to All Children through National Health Reform
This report provides a blueprint of how to fill in the health coverage gaps for children and build a family-friendly health care system that addresses children's unique needs. (May 2009, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families)

Explaining Health Care Reform: What are Health Insurance Exchanges?
Various health reform proposals being discussed suggest developing an 'exchange' or a market-place where uninsured individuals will be able to purchase coverage. This brief explains the purpose and function of exchanges, how they would relate to greater regulation of the insurance market, and some of the key questions likely to be addressed by any health reform proposal that calls for the creation of exchanges. (May 2009, KFF)

Rules of the Road: How an Insurance Exchange Can Pool Risk and Protect Enrollees
Several leading proposals for major health reform include a new entity — sometimes called an “exchange” — that would offer a choice of health insurance plans to individuals and, if designed well, provide insurance options that are affordable, comprehensive, and easy for consumers to compare. This report discusses features that should be included in a health insurance exchange so that it provides individuals with coverage options that are affordable, comprehensive and easy to compare. (5/31/09, CBO)

HHS Report, Forum Call for Health Reform to Reduce Disparities
Low-income Americans and racial and ethnic minorities experience disproportionately higher rates of disease, fewer treatment options and reduced access to care, according to a report released today by Health and Human Services that calls for reducing disparities as part of health reform. The report was released in conjunction with a White House forum on health reform and disparities. At a news briefing this morning, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus announced their reform priorities for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. The groups called for elevating the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and strengthening HHS’ Office of Minority Health. They also called for a public health insurance plan option and adequate reimbursement for language and translation services. (6/9/09, DHHS)

Health Reform: Cost of Failure
Examines three different scenarios that could occur if the U.S. does not reform its health care system. It concludes that in the best case scenario, inaction could increase family and individual spending by at least 46 percent and nearly double government expenditures as more U.S. residents become eligible for programs such as Medicaid and CHIP. (5/21/09, RWJF)

White House: The Economic Case for Health Care Reform
Slowing the annual growth rate of health care spending by 1.5 percentage points would improve Americans’ standard of living, and reduce the federal budget deficit and the unemployment rate, concludes a new report by the White House Council of Economic Advisors. In addition, expanding coverage would increase the economic well-being of the uninsured, likely increase labor supply and improve the functioning of the labor market. The three-member council advises the president on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy. (6/2/09, The White House)

Report Recommends Ways to Increase Coverage Among Children
This report recommends expanding Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program eligibility to help cover the nearly 9 million remaining uninsured children in the U.S. It suggests allowing families with incomes up to 150% of the federal poverty level to enroll in Medicaid and children in families with incomes up to 300% of the FPL to enroll in CHIP, while providing flexibility for states wishing to expand eligibility further. For ineligible families, it recommends establishing an insurance exchange and providing subsidies to help them afford coverage. Ensuring access to care will require major new federal resources, it said, suggesting that the federal government require Medicaid and CHIP reimbursement rates to be comparable to Medicare. (5/29/09, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families)

Designing Benefit Standards for a Health Insurance Exchange

explains that, in any exchange that is created as part of health reform, it is crucial to establish benefit standards so that all plans cover a comprehensive range of services, thereby ensuring that individuals and small businesses have a choice of affordable, comprehensive plans. These benefit standards would protect people with particular medical conditions from facing excessive costs, and they would better enable consumers to compare plans based on price and quality. (5/21/09, CBPP)

Ensuring Affordable Health Coverage and Health Care Services in an Insurance Exchange

finds that any health reform proposal that requires everyone to obtain health insurance must establish mechanisms to make health coverage and health care affordable. It also identifies four key components that any successful exchange should have: minimum standards for benefit packages, limits on the degree of variation in different benefit packages, limits on the number of different plan choices, and a requirement that insurers in the exchange offer the full range of benefit packages. (5/21/09, CBPP)

Medicaid as a Platform for Broader Health Reform: Supporting High-Need and Low-Income Populations

summarizes the problems that low-income individuals face in today's health care system and explores policy options for expanding Medicaid to cover more of this population as a base for broader health reform efforts. The report finds that Medicaid can provide a strong foundation that can help ensure the success of broader reform efforts by maintaining coverage for the poor and sick while providing a vehicle to reach low-income adults. (5/12/09, KFF)

Meeting Enrollees’ Needs: How Do Medicare and Employer Coverage Stack Up?

finds that elderly Medicare beneficiaries reported greater overall satisfaction with their health coverage, better access to care, and fewer problems paying medical bills than those under age 65 who are covered by job-based plans. This study was designed to examine whether a public plan could potentially improve access to necessary services and reduce the burden of medical bills for individuals under age 65. (5/12/09, Commonwealth Fund)

Building Momentum as Democrats Forge Health Care Reform
This review of recent action on health reform discusses industry and provider groups' pledge to reduce spending by $2 trillion over the next 10 years, noting that the groups' pledge was a "recognition that the pace of reform is quickening and they wanted to be a full participant in negotiations." It also addresses congressional action, including discussions of a public insurance option and how lawmakers are attempting to address the cost of reform. (5/14/09, NEJM)

Forging a New Plan For Health Care: Principles and Priorities for Sustainable Reform

The U.S. stands poised to enact dramatic and far-reaching changes to health-insurance markets in the name of expanding insurance coverage to the more than 45 million uninsured and controlling rapidly rising health-care costs in both the public and private sectors. Early signals from Congress and the administration indicate that many of these changes will involve expansions of existing government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, massive new regulation of private insurance providers, and trillions of dollars in new federal spending that will have to be financed through new taxes or substantial rationing of patient access to health-care goods and services. This paper makes the fiscal and political case for bipartisan health-care reform that: addresses dysfunctions in the existing health-care-delivery system; expands access to affordable private health insurance in an incremental and fiscally responsible manner; and improves market-based options for consumer access to information on health-care quality. (May 2009, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research)

Tax on Employer Health Benefits Could Be Used to Pay for System Overhaul
"A new tax on employer-provided health insurance is emerging as a likely option to finance an overhaul of the nation's health-care system," but opposition to the plan is coming from many directions. (5/22/09, Washington Post)

Study Lends Urgency to Passage of Health Care Legislation
A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that in 10 years the number of uninsured Americans could reach beyond 65.7 million and health care costs could more than double, a situation that is motivating lawmakers to pass a bill to revamp the health care system by the end of the year. (5/21/09, Reuters)

Too Great a Burden: Americans Face Rising Health Costs

Nearly one in four Americans under the age of 65—some 64.4 million people—will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax family income on health care in 2009.... And 18.7 million non-elderly Americans.... are in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their income on health care in 2009. What’s even more troubling is that most of these Americans are in families who already have health insurance. 82.6% of Americans in families that spend more than 10% of income on health care are insured, and 76.4% of Americans in families that spend more than 25% of income on health care are insured.With the economy in decline and unemployment at its highest rate in decades, more people are out of work and losing their health coverage as a result. Yet even those with insurance are exposed to thinner coverage and higher out of pocket costs. The need to secure true health reform has never been more urgent: The economic security of American families lies in the balance. (May 2009, Families USA)

Limiting the Tax Exclusion For Employer-Sponsored Insurance Can Help Pay For Health Reform; Universal Coverage May Be Out of Reach Otherwise

Congress is unlikely to be able to finance health reform legislation that includes universal coverage unless it limits the exclusion of employers’ health insurance payments from workers’ income and payroll taxes. Limiting the exclusion could provide significant revenues for health reform without eroding employer-sponsored insurance or causing other undesirable side effects - if the cap and the rest of the health reform legislation are well designed. (6/2/09, CBPP)

Paying for Health Reform

The next in a series of reports about how policymakers could pay for health reform that extends insurance to all Americans and slows the growth of health care costs:
Curbing Flexible Spending Accounts Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform

Reversing the Erosion in Alcohol Taxes Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform

Taxing High-Sugar Soft Drinks Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform (5/27/09, CBPP)

Report Highlights National Cost of Chronic Disease
The U.S. spent an estimated $1.7 trillion treating patients with one or more chronic diseases in 2007, about three-quarters of total health care spending. “The health of our nation and our economy will only improve when we move from a ‘sick-care’ system focused on treating chronic diseases to a true health care system devoted to prevention and wellness,” said former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., PFCD chairperson and president of the Canyon Ranch Institute. Reducing the prevalence of chronic disease through an increased focus on wellness is one pillar of the AHA’s framework for reform, Health for Life: Better Health. Better Health Care. The AHA is a national PFCD partner. (5/14/09, second annual Almanac of Chronic Disease by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease)

Key Priorities to Help Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

discusses three actions Congress should take to improve the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) and the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) as part of health reform. (May 2009, Families USA)

Medicare: Helping Low-Income Seniors and People with Disabilities

examines the high out-of-pocket costs Medicare beneficiaries face and how health reform should improve existing programs that help them afford these costs. (May 2009, Families USA)

Continued Listings: Florida Reports

43.8 Million Americans Uninsured in 2008 include almost half of Floridians
An estimated 43.8 million Americans had no health insurance in 2008, according to a new CDC report. That’s 700,000 more people than in 2007 and 2.8 million more than in 1997. Only 56 percent of Floridians under age 65 had private health coverage last year, according to a new federal survey. One-fourth of the others were uninsured and the rest were covered by a government program.Massachusetts had the lowest percentage of uninsured residents under age 65 (3.4%), and Texas had the highest (22.9%). An estimated 8.9% of children had no health insurance, the same as in 2007 but down from 13.9% in 1997. (7/01/09, CDC)

Miami's patient co-pays highest
In a list of the 10 U.S. hospitals with the highest out-of-pocket costs for Medicare patients, six are in Miami-Dade. Note: The highest-cost hospital, Cedars Medical Center, is now University of Miami. (7/8/09, US News & World Report)

Florida Medicaid grew 13% in past year
Spurred by high unemployment, Florida Medicaid enrollment grew by more than 13 percent in the past year to 1.6 million, according to new state data. Still, only two of three Floridians who qualify for Medicaid are enrolled. (7/1/09, Health News Florida)

Florida Medicaid, KidCare enrollment up

The number of women and children enrolling in Medicaid, the safety net health care program for the poor, and KidCare is expected to rise as the state economy continues to lag, a reports says. The News Service of Florida reports that state economists spent Monday going over new forecasts for both the Medicaid program – which is funded with a combination of state and federal money – and KidCare, the state-subsidized children’s health insurance program.Those latest forecasts show an 8 percent growth in the number of pregnant women who are below the poverty line and enrolled in Medicaid during the fiscal year that ended on June 30. But that growth is expected to surge to nearly 15 percent in the coming year.The numbers are even more dramatic for children. (7/21/09, Health News Florida)

FL quality rated below average in new federal report
Quality of health care in Florida is rated “weak” or “very weak” on five of a dozen measures, with the worst scores going to diabetes and respiratory care. Florida’s strengths are in home-health care and cancer treatment, the report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The state received an average score in five categories. (6/30/09, AHRQ)

Medicaid Reform: Legislature Should Delay Expansion Until More Information Is Available to Evaluate Success

Nearly three years into a Medicaid privatization program former [Florida] Gov. Jeb Bush said could be a national model, state officials say they do not have crucial data to measure the program's effectiveness, including how many patients' treatments and prescriptions have been approved or denied. There is "little evidence" that the program "has improved health care or saved the state money." Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, which "oversees the pilot" told the AP in an email that due to an overhaul of their computer system, they "do not have usable data at this time." (6/2/09, OPPGA)

Malpractice Suits, Other Factors Contribute to Rise in Caesarean Births
In hospitals across the country but particularly in Florida, surgical births are becoming a given. Nearly 40 percent of Florida babies were born by C-section in 2008; in the Tampa Bay area, the rate is 38 percent. The U.S. rate in 2007 (the most recent year available) was 31.8 percent. A decade ago, the national rate was 21 percent and Florida's was 23 percent. Many doctors believe that the increase in caesarean section births in the U.S. over the last decade has been fueled by three main factors -- fear of malpractice lawsuits, a decrease in vaginal births after c-sections and rising rates of obesity. (6/17/09, St. Petersburg Times)

Nonprofits & The Economy Survey
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties and Allegany Franciscan Ministries recently released the full results of the Nonprofits and the Economy Survey. Over 300 nonprofit organizations responded to the survey, which asked them about their current challenges, the impact the economic downturn is having on the services they offer and their most pressing funding needs. To schedule a presentation for your organization, please contact the Community Foundation at 561-659-6800 ext. 121 or kparmelee@cfpbmc.org. (May 2009, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties and Allegany Franciscan Ministries)

Floridians 50-to-65 Losing Coverage

In Florida, the ratio of workers ages 50 to 65 who lacked health coverage in a study two years ago had tripled in this decade to 18 percent, an AARP study found. A spokesman said the numbers have doubtless grown since then because of the recession in a trend AARP views as alarming. (5/8/09, AARP in Tampa Tribune)

Medicare Fraud Prevalent In South Florida

Just 2% of Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S. live in South Florida, but the area accounted for 17% of Medicare's total spending on inhalation drugs in 2007 because of potential fraud, according to a new fraud report. (April 2009, HHS Office of Inspector General)

Reports Criticize Health Care At U.S., Florida Immigration Detention Centers
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency routinely delays, denies or provides low-quality medical care for detained immigrants in ill-equipped facilities nationwide, according to two new reports (March 2009, Human Rights Watch and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center)

A Closer Look at Tobacco Taxes: “Florida’s Fiscal Crisis: The Prescription”
This report recommends: Raise the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack and increase the tax on "other tobacco products" to 100% of the wholesale price. It is estimated that this change in tax rate will add an additional $1,000.8 million to the state's recurring general revenues. (March 2009, Florida Center for Fiscal & Economic Reform)

ASTHO 2008 Florida Snapshot: Activities to Promote Health Equity
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has published online snapshots highlighting state activities that promote health equity. Nearly every state is represented. This online tool features an overview of each state’s health priorities, a flowchart outlining the organization and infrastructure of state departments of health, each state’s activities and/or organizations that address the social determinants of health.

Florida among 10 worst states for adult diabetes
In just one decade, Florida has gone from having one of lowest rates of adult diabetes in the country to cracking the top 10 worst, federal health officials reported Thursday. Diabetes more than tripled in Florida in the past decade while it was doubling at the national level, according to CDC. (10/31/08, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

Florida CHAIN Issue Brief: Health Plans' Persistently Consumer-Unfriendly and Divergent "Preferred Drug List" Posting Practices Exemplify Unresolved Challenges in Medicaid Reform

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.

Dying for Coverage in Florida

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
HHS did not ensure that two Medicaid pilot projects in Florida and Vermont would be budget neutral before approving them. Under federal law, states can obtain a federal waiver for pilot programs to test new ways of delivering care under Medicaid if they can show that spending would not rise faster than it normally would. However, in approving the Florida and Vermont programs, "HHS approved spending limits that were higher than the limits that would have been granted if HHS had held the states to limits based on benchmark growth rates," the report found. In addition, "HHS' basis for approving the higher spending limits was not fully supported by documentation," according to GAO. (March 2008, GAO)

State of Breast Cancer Report Names Florida as One of the "Most Restrictive" for State Assisted Breast Cancer Treatment
Florida is part of a minority of states that still determines a woman ineligible for Medicaid-funded treatment unless she was screened through the state program, restricting access to care for those diagnosed elsewhere. The Florida Suncoast Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is on a mission to lobby the state legislature to change laws affecting women seeking Medicaid-funded treatment for breast cancer. The affiliate also encourages survivors, their families and the Tampa Bay community to contact their local and state representatives, urging them to revisit the laws governing breast cancer treatment. The Report provides information on advancements in diagnosis, treatment and research that have made breast cancer a survivable disease for more than 2 million people in the United States. The report also explores cultural, social, educational and financial barriers – or disparities – that prevent many people from getting screening and receiving life-saving breast cancer care. (11/26/07, Susan Komen Fdn)

Florida Funding For Safety-Net Hospitals Could Be Affected By Proposed Property Tax Cuts

Proposed cuts to Florida property taxes could reduce funding for safety-net hospitals in fiscal year 2009. The "low-income pool" of local and state tax dollars, which receives federal matching funds to reimburse hospitals that provide care to low-income and uninsured residents not covered by Medicaid, is mostly funded by ad valorem property tax revenue. Gov. Charlie Crist (R) and state lawmakers have proposed cutting those taxes this year. (1/3/08, Tampa Tribune)

Too Great a Burden: Florida Families at Risk A Report on the Impact of Healthcare Costs on Florida Families

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 USA)

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 Miami-Dade County's Office of Countywide Healthcare Planning as part of the Building Better Communities General Obligations Bond Program which seeks to improve access to primary care throughout Miami-Dade County. A Health Profile of the Miami Beach Service Area was released in July, and one focusing on the North Miami-Dade Service Area will be released in December. Comparative data is included for Miami-Dade as a whole. The profiles provide a general overview of the population, health needs and resources available in the Service Areas.

(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 United States. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, the Foundation seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. Information is also available in an online database that enables users to generate custom graphs, maps, ranked lists, and state-by-state profiles. Both the book and the online database can be accessed on the website listed above.

2007 Miami-Dade County Community Health Report Card: Health improvement through benchmarking, priority setting and leadership engagement

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
Florida state Senators Nan Rich and Durell Peaden and Representatives Loranne Ausley and J.C. Planas have released the final recommendations of the 2006 Florida Children’s Summit. The Summit participants learned a lot, and the next Summit in Fall 2008 will reflect that. In 2008 they will spend substantially more time in workshops hashing out recommendations and will secure experienced workshop facilitators who are knowledgeable about the topics they are facilitating. Also, they will institute a process to ensure that when leaving the 2008 Summit - or very shortly thereafter - all will know the Summit recommendations.

Report looks at uninsured in Florida
This report from the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at FIU documents and breaks down Florida's uninsured figures, finding 18.5% of the total Florida population uninsured. The report looks at employment and industry data related to lack of coverage, and proposes a partial solution.