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Agwunobi Nominated for AHCA Head
New Legislative Committee Chairs, Members
AHCA Secretary Responds to CHAIN Reaction Article
Medicaid Reform Enrollment Has Glitches Despite Administration's Report
The head of Florida’s Medicaid program told a Senate committee Wednesday that he has received very few complaints about new Medicaid reform health care plans in Broward and Duval counties.
Tom Arnold, Deputy Secretary for Medicaid, said that he has personally received less than 10 complaints, while noting that area Medicaid offices largely respond to consumer concerns. Arnold also said he has a “book of compliments” about telephone counselors who help Medicaid consumers select from a list of health care plans.
Arnold made the comments during a meeting of the Senate Health Policy Committee, which will monitor the Medicaid reform project established by the Bush administration. Under Medicaid reform, consumers are required to enroll in one of several health care plans offered in Broward and Duval counties, the two test sites.
The committee is chaired by Sen. Mandy Dawson, a Democrat from Broward County.
Noting that the reform project is taking place in her district, Sen. Dawson told Arnold that it’s important for AHCA to give progress reports to committee members. She specifically wants health indicators to be addressed, as well as cost savings from the experimental project. She said the committee members “have to know what we’re getting for our money.”
So far, 129,000 people have signed up for Medicaid reform health plans in the two counties, and enrollment will continue through March. About half of these enrollees are children, Arnold said.
Committee members asked whether consumers were happy with the health plan changes, and Arnold said that it’s “very rare” that they switch plans after enrollment. He estimated that 10 percent of consumers have disenrolled from their original health plan, but then said it was more like 5 percent.
Consumers have 90 days to switch to a new health plan for any reason. Last month, AHCA officials told members of their Medicaid Reform Technical Advisory Committee that choice counselors were experiencing a greater volume of calls due to consumers who wanted to switch plans.
Arnold acknowledged that there are rough patches with implementing the new Medicaid reform plan, and AHCA is doing its best to smooth them out. For example, AHCA mistakenly told some consumers they had to select a new plan, even though they are exempt.
In fact, Arnold’s comments notwithstanding, Florida CHAIN and other members of the Medicaid Reform Advocates Coalition (MRAC) in Broward and Duval counties are documenting dozens of instances that paint a less rosy picture of Medicaid reform. Click here to see "Medicaid Reform Concerns and Recommendations" (12/06).
For example, AHCA lacks the ability to separate individuals with developmental disabilities – who are not required to enroll in a Medicaid reform plan – from those who are required to do so. As a result, AHCA sent letters to hundreds of these individuals informing them they are mandatory enrollees.
At a recent beneficiaries meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Arnold urged advocates and providers to have developmentally disabled beneficiaries contact the agency to resolve these issues on an individual basis. Although Arnold assured legislators that AHCA has since contacted those individuals and corrected the situation, the issue is a systemic one unlikely to be resolved unless AHCA finds a way to devise an accurate identification system.
Beneficiaries also reported that when they asked choice counselors about each plan’s list of approved drugs, they were told to contact each managed care plan for the information. When they did so, plan administrators explained that that the drug lists were only available online, making it impossible for Medicaid consumers without Internet access to determine whether their medicines were covered by specific plans.
At the same beneficiaries meeting, Arnold assured advocates that printed copies of the drug lists and providers would be made available to consumers throughout the pilot counties. To date this has not happened. Arnold, however, gave a list of Broward County providers to Sen. Dawson at her request.
Efforts to Ease KidCare Enrollment Introduced
Legislators are moving forward with bills that would make it easier for parents to enroll their children in KidCare, Florida’s child health insurance program.
Members of a Senate committee made the decision after reviewing a staff report that recommends changes to the enrollment system, such as simplifying application and putting administrative functions under one umbrella.
The KidCare program consists of MediKids, Healthy Kids, Children’s Medical Services, and Medicaid for children. Eligibility for each program varies by age and family income – a piecemeal approach that makes it difficult for families to enroll children as they grow older and family income changes.
The Senate report also notes that enrollment activities would need to be broadened to accommodate all four components of KidCare and Medicaid for children.
The state recently hired a private company to enroll children into the KidCare insurance program. Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) won a five-year, $87.3 million contract to process applications for eligibility, collect premiums and operate a call center.
The Dallas-based company is also under contract to enroll Broward and Duval county consumers in new Medicaid reform plans. They operate a call center staffed with choice counselors who help Medicaid beneficiaries select from a list of health plans in their area.
Gov. Crist Nominates Dr. Andrew Agwunobi for AHCA Secretary
Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, nominated by Gov. Charlie Crist as secretary for the Agency for Health Care Administration, brings a strong business approach to running health care. Nonetheless, the Scottish-born pediatrician told lawmakers Wednesday he is “passionate” about helping vulnerable health care consumers and can offer quality care without spending more money.
Agwunobi faces a Senate confirmation before officially becoming AHCA secretary. Although his credentials appear to put him on the side of corporate and government interests, consumers and advocates may be cautiously optimistic by his testimony, especially as Medicaid consumers in Broward and Duval counties are enrolling in managed care plans under Florida’s Medicaid reform project.
The health care plans, HMOs and Physician Service Networks (PSNs) have state and federal approval to limit the amount, duration and scope of some medical services, causing many to be concerned about appropriate delivery of care to the state’s most vulnerable populations.
The Medicaid reform experiment, created under former Gov. Jeb Bush’s administration and approved by the Legislature in 2005, will expand to three rural counties later this year. Any further expansions must be approved by the Legislature.
During a meeting of the Senate Health Policy Committee, chaired by state Sen. Mandy Dawson, Agwunobi stated that he would assess Medicaid reform, and then offer his recommendations on how to move forward.
Agwunobi exhibited similar caution in 2005, when he was the top executive at Grady Health System, Georgia’s largest provider of indigent care. At the time, Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed to split the state Medicaid program into six regions, each served by at least two managed care companies.
"We're taking a wait-and-see approach," Agwunobi told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2005. "Many of the details are still being worked out. We want to be good partners with the state. We understand they have challenges with the Medicaid budget."
Organizations like Florida CHAIN hope that, as secretary of AHCA, Agwunobi will be sensitive, not only to the need of keeping Medicaid costs down, but the need to not forego care to those who need it.
“Operational efficiencies”
As president and CEO of Grady, Agwunobi took the 953-bed health care system from a $60 million deficit to $6 million by focusing on “operational efficiency,” according to newspaper accounts.
He fired five executives, including the chief financial officer, chief operating officer and administrators in charge of contract compliance and business ethics. He laid off some 200 employees in overstaffed hospital departments and transferred others to departments where they were needed. And, he ordered the hospital’s billing department to go after delinquent accounts of patients who could afford to pay.
Consumers also felt the brunt of Agwunobi’s changes. Consistent with current trends, he put in place a $2 co-payment for prescription drugs and ended free treatment at clinics for those low-income patients who lived outside the health care system’s service area.
He also instructed the hospital to sign up eligible patients for the Medicare or Medicaid benefits they should have been receiving, which generated an additional $5 million in monthly revenue for Grady.
More public awareness
Agwunobi drew a line in the sand, calling on county and state policymakers to put more Medicaid dollars money into Grady, instead of forcing the hospital system to provide services it couldn’t afford.
“At Grady, we have a big heart,’’ Agwunobi told the Atlanta Business Chronicle in a March 4, 2005, story. “But by trying to be everything for everyone and trying to assume responsibility for the problem of the uninsured, it has not given any incentive to state and county leaders to address the lack of funding for the uninsured, and it has also caused them to not even realize the depth of it.’’
It will be interesting to see how Agwunobi will fare on the state’s side of the line he drew while an administrator at Grady.
When he left Grady in 2005, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution praised Agwunobi for his cost-saving efforts:
“The changes caught the attention of state and local politicians, many of whom rightly complained over the years that they couldn't tell whether Grady's pleas for more money reflected a real need or resulted from the inability to manage its own finances. The result is that Fulton and DeKalb county taxpayers are now subsidizing a much smaller portion of the hospital budget than they were 10 years ago.”
More accolades
Meanwhile, Agwunobi earned several awards for his customer service initiatives and was named by Modern Healthcare as an “Up & Comers Award for Rising Stars in Health Care Management” in 2002, according to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
Agwunobi left Grady to become executive vice president and chief operating officer for St. Joseph Health Care System, which operates hospitals in California, Texas and New Mexico. He also served as a member of the board of directors for WellCare Health Plans, a Tampa-based company that offers managed care services to governments. WellCare has Medicaid reform plans in Broward and Duval counties. Agwunobi resigned a day before his appointment to head AHCA. Crist’s appointment of Agwunobi culminated a gubernatorial campaign in which health care policy and Medicaid reform were conspicuously absent from the debate.
He received his medical degree from the University of Jos in Nigeria and his MBA from Stanford. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Howard University.
Agwunobi’s brother John also served as AHCA Secretary under Gov. Jeb Bush. John Agwunobi is now the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Florida Legislature's New Committee Chairs and Members
Legislative leaders recently appointed members and leaders to Florida House and Senate committees. Below are links to lists of committee leadership and members, with their contact information. These will be important contacts as the Florida legislative session approaches rapidly. Check to see on which healthcare related committees your rep and senator serve, and look for state legislative alerts from Florida CHAIN soon!
AHCA Secretary Responds to CHAIN Reaction Article
Tom Arnold, Deputy Secretary for Medicaid, responded to a recent CHAIN Reaction article that informed readers on the progress of the state’s continued efforts to enroll consumers in Medicaid Reform health plans in Broward and Duval counties. Click here to see the article and the letter from Mr. Arnold.
While standing behind the information published in our original article, Florida CHAIN appreciates Mr. Arnold's feedback and looks forward to a continued dialogue with the Agency for Health Care Administration. As always, our goal is to bring the most accurate information to our readers. Florida CHAIN works to ensure a Florida Medicaid reform system that is: accessible, high quality, cost effective, accountable and person centered as it is legislated and implemented in Florida
It’s Not What You Know,
But How You Say What You Know
January 12, 2007
Mike Flaherty outlines the essence of effective messaging
to Florida CHAIN staff and MRAC members
How does an organization package a message to an audience that would rather not hear it? This was the fundamental question addressed by Mike Flaherty, of Flaherty and Associates, at a presentation in Fort Lauderdale to Florida CHAIN staff and Medicaid Reform Advocates Coalition (MRAC) members, part of a project funded by the Health Foundation of South Florida and Community Foundation of Broward.
Flaherty, a long time writer and journalist based in Wisconsin, advises nonprofit organizations on marketing and messaging on issues the media and policy makers may find difficult to grasp or too dangerous to grapple with. For the purpose of this presentation, he guided participants toward crafting a cohesive strategy on how to engage the media, Legislature, policy makers and other stakeholders in a dialogue on Medicaid reform that puts consumers’ interests first.
Florida CHAIN contracted Flaherty’s services as part of its continuing efforts to convert consumers’ and advocates’ concerns about Medicaid reform into a specific course of action with measurable outcomes and a clear goal. This in light of the key role the Legislature will be taking in deciding when or if to expand Medicaid reform statewide, beginning in July 2008.
“The important thing is that if you state a problem you must also state a solution,” says Flaherty. He adds that for the media to really become engaged and call on Florida CHAIN and its coalition partners as the experts on the ground on how Medicaid reform affects consumers, the organizations’ responsibility is to speak off the same page and consistently repeat a core message.
“Often advocates are so immersed in their work and believe so strongly in what they do, that they assume everyone else is just as taken by their issue as they are,” says Lisa Margulis, Florida CHAIN Executive Director. “We saw this as an opportunity to share with a marketing expert who is far removed from the specifics of our daily work, what we know about the issue of Medicaid reform and what we are concerned with to have him help us effectively deliver our message to the key players in the upcoming debate who may need see a consumer perspective in the Medicaid reform debate” she added.
Accordingly, Flaherty urged participants to make it a priority to identify and make available to the media consumers who can put a “human face” on the effects of Medicaid reform. Meanwhile, Flaherty will produce a document outlining a proposed messaging strategy that will be made available to those advocates, individuals and organizations who wish to contact legislators and the media about the issue.
Toxic Situation
January 12, 2007
(The names in the story below have been changed to protect the identity of the consumers.)
One and a half years ago, Barbara and her two children lived in an apartment where they were exposed to toxic mold. They initially had no idea how badly affected they were, nor how this would affect their health and welfare to the extent that they would lose almost everything.
Barbara and her family had health insurance, but their carrier did not recognize their diagnosis, so none of her medical bills were covered. This left her in debt for approximately $75,000. After Barbara lost her job from calling in sick too often, she applied for and started receiving disability and Medicaid benefits. She thought this would be the answer to her medical prayers. Instead, she discovered that there were no Medicaid primary care physicians who would take her case because it was “too complex”. Without a primary care physician, she could not even be referred to a specialist.
Barbara’s 13 year old daughter, Sara, hasn’t attended school in over a year. Her health is too poor to even get dressed. Sara is enrolled in Children’s Medical Services, a division of the Florida KidCare program for severely ill children of low income families. Tragically, her plight for health care is the same as her mother’s - no Medicaid physician will take her case, saying she is “too sick” for their practice.
After having lost their apartment and been kicked out of various motels, the family is currently living in a hotel room with biting insects. Sometimes it’s nearly impossible for Barbara to communicate clearly what her needs are because of her illnesses including Lyme Disease. She spends most of each day making phone calls and trying to navigate through a maze of referrals hoping that, somehow, someone is going to be able to help her.
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 Andrew Leone at 954/684-9895 or andrewl@floridachain.org
RECENT HEALTH ARTICLES
January 12, 2007
Florida News & Opinions
KidCare and SCHIP
Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Costs
Other Medicare, Medicaid
Health Insurance and Costs
Other Health Issues
National News & Opinions
Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Costs
Other Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Health Insurance and Costs
Other National Health Issues
KidCare and SCHIP
OPINION: Health Insurance: State lost federal funds for kids
by Roy Miller, president, Children's Campaign
Florida policymakers have provided the children in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island a very happy new year at the expense of Florida's children. As a result the Florida Legislature, Florida has lost $20 million earmarked to provide health insurance to children. Legislative changes in eligibility, additional bureaucratic hurdles and lack of outreach have caused Florida's KidCare program to decline by more than 150,000 children in a three-year period, resulting in Florida's loss of the federal funds. Florida is not spending less on children's health insurance because there aren't as many children who need the service. It is estimated that 674,000 children do not have health insurance in our state. (1/9/07, The Florida Times-Union)
Fight For Child Health Care Heats Up
For the first time since 1998, the U.S. Census Bureau reported an increase in the number of uninsured children in 2005. About 8.3 million of the country's 74 million children, or about 11.2 percent, were uninsured last year - 360,000 more than in the previous year. In Florida, 749,000 children were without health insurance for all or part of 2005, up from 611,000 in 2004. This spring, a coalition of national groups called the Campaign for Children's Health Care intends to deliver petitions to Congress, urging them to work toward extending health coverage to all children. The timing is calculated: Congress must vote in 2007 on whether to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, the primary source of government funding for children's health insurance. In October, advocates in Florida met with state lawmakers at a conference to set policy goals on behalf of children. They emerged, they said, with renewed commitment to covering health care for every child. State Sen. Nan Rich wants to expand KidCare, Florida's health insurance program for low-income children. Rich, D-Sunrise, proposes boosting the income threshold to qualify from 200 percent of the federal poverty line to 300 percent. Florida could cover at least part of the cost, Rich suggested, by eliminating some of the state's hundreds of sales tax exemptions. Funding also could come from raising the state's tax on cigarettes, said representatives of Florida CHAIN, a nonprofit coalition of health care groups and activists. (12/11/06, Tampa Tribune)
Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost
Seniors on Medicare pay 10 times more for drugs than veterans, advocacy group finds
Seniors pay as much as 10 times more for their most commonly prescribed drugs under Medicare than veterans do under their federal drug benefit, primarily because veterans officials by law can negotiate directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers for bulk discounts, according to a new study. Families USA, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy group, looked at the 20 top drugs prescribed to seniors and found the lowest prices charged by the top five Medicare plans exceeded the lowest prices with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The difference ranged from 34 percent for Plavix, used to prevent heart attacks and strokes, to more than 10 times more for Zocor, a lipid-lowering agent made by Merck & Co., according to the report released Tuesday. The issue is key in Florida, with 3.07 million Medicare recipients, the second-highest number in the nation. Broward and Palm Beach counties each have about 200,000 Medicare recipients. (1/10/07, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Seniors give mixed reviews after prescription drug program's first year
A few love it. A few hate it. Most found it to be just OK. The first year of Medicare's prescription drug program draws mixed reviews from South Florida seniors, with many hunting for better options as the Dec. 31 enrollment deadline for 2007 nears. The top complaint, Medicare experts said, is the "doughnut hole" coverage gap, when seniors must pay the entire cost of their drugs. Many who misread the rules were shocked when their coverage suddenly ended this year. Others were dismayed when plans restricted their drugs, made them switch to generics or raised co-payments. (12/28/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Other Medicare, Medicaid
Medicare change might cost you
Seniors who sold homes, did well in the stock market or took large withdrawals from their retirement accounts almost two years ago may get a surprise when they open their Social Security checks this month. People with higher incomes for the first time are paying more in Medicare premiums, which are deducted monthly from Social Security payments. Even some people with moderate incomes could feel the pinch. For the first time, payments for Part B Medicare coverage, which reimburses for visits to doctors and medical tests, are being calculated annually this year from adjusted gross income reported to the IRS -- a figure that could change dramatically with a windfall, such as proceeds from a property sale. Some advocacy groups are predicting some middle-income seniors are going to be blindsided by the higher rates, because they're based on 2005 capital gains. (1/5/07, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Medicare fraud in Florida has doubled in the past year
Medicaid fraud investigators in Florida have recovered nearly $75 million in taxpayer money in abuse and fraud activity this past year involving health-care providers, almost double the $42 million recovered in 2005, according to a state report released Friday. The Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration and the Florida Attorney General’s Office both have Medicaid fraud units and jointly announced results of fraud detection and recovery efforts for fiscal 2005-06. (12/30/06, Naples News)
Refunds due in weeks
Medicare has given refunds to most HMO members who overpaid their monthly premiums this year because of computer errors, and the remaining refunds should arrive in weeks, the agency said. That's not much comfort for Tamarac retiree Sonny Gentile, who is owed $1,062 and is struggling to pay his bills. "It's a hardship for me," Gentile said. "My kids help me out now and then, but I can't keep asking them for money." Refunds are due to those in HMOs that agreed to pay all or part of the person's Medicare part B premium of $88.50 per month, as a bonus for joining. Due to computer errors, the government continued deducting the premiums from Social Security checks. As a result, more than 260,000 Americans overpaid in 2006. South Florida, where HMOs are popular, was hit hard. (12/28/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Congress patches Medicare, but for MDs, wound festers
With Medicare payments to doctors set to drop by 5.1 percent in 2007 under a formula Congress set in motion in 1997, lawmakers decided to give doctors the same amounts as this year. And last year, Congress blocked a similar round of cuts to keep 2006 payments flat with 2005. Doctors who treat Medicare patients are relieved, if not entirely grateful, for an unsatisfying gift that lawmakers keep giving. The same formula is likely to require cuts each year at least through 2012, and no one seems to think the future cuts should be allowed either. Despite lagging payments, statistics show that doctors are billing Medicare for more services, not fewer, so spending is up. Experts agree that largely reflects adjustments by doctors who are doing more procedures and working more hours to squeeze in more patients with whom they spend less time. (12/26/06, Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Hialeah, N.Y. arrests target Medicare fraud
Detectives worked undercover leads to break up an alleged Medicare fraud ring in Hialeah and New York. After a detective worked undercover for months to learn what was happening inside a Hialeah clinic, police on Wednesday arrested 10 people on charges of racketeering and insurance fraud in a scheme that allegedly bilked taxpayers out of more than $1 million. The clinic, Rehability of Florida, was shut down in the arrest sweep. (12/21/06, Miami Herald)
Children on Medicaid to get faster flu treatment
Doctors should have an easier time making sure Medicaid kids get the flu vaccine and treatment when they become sick with the flu, state health-care officials announced Tuesday. The state Agency for Healthcare Administration is dropping its cumbersome prior authorization requirement before doctors can prescribe Tamiflu to children on Medicaid who develop flu symptoms. The state agency says physicians now can expect a one-hour turn-around time to get authorization for Tamiflu. Previously, approval could have taken 24 hours or longer. The policy change came under pressure from the Florida Pediatric Society, with 2,500 pediatrician members. (12/20/06, Naples News)
Fix flawed Medicare payment formula
The news that Medicare reimbursement cuts to physicians might compromise cardiac care to the elderly in Central Florida is chilling in its implications. When one Orlando cardiologist spoke of rationed medical care, delayed diagnoses and shifting of patients to already overstressed hospitals for testing, those are elements we find only in socialized systems such as Canada and the UK. However, last-minute legislation by Congress averted those threatened pay cuts, as has been done yearly since 2003, which means that reimbursement levels for next year will remain as they were in 2006. That fixes the problem for another year, giving time for various parties to explore options for a better solution to replace what has been perceived to be a flawed payment formula. (12/20/06, Orlando Sentinel)
Medicare cutbacks could limit heart care: Cardiologists say cuts might delay tests, leading to life-threatening woes and higher health costs
Every month in Central Florida, thousands of patients undergo basic tests for heart disease in their cardiologists' offices. Some are injected with a radioactive solution to illuminate their hearts and reveal blockages during procedures called nuclear stress tests. Others get scans called echocardiograms to check for problems with blood flow or leaky valves. Such tests are critical diagnostic tools for heart doctors, who say their ability to carry them out is being threatened by severe cuts in Medicare payments for these and other imaging services. Doctors say the reductions -- which start next month and continue progressively through 2010 -- could shift the tests from physicians' offices to already overburdened hospitals. As a result, they say, patients will wait longer to be diagnosed with life-threatening problems and health-care spending will increase. (12/17/06, Orlando Sentinel)
Health Insurance and Costs
Time for a heart-to-heart
Even though Florida is in a tailspin over property insurance rates, the far more critical problem is and has long been health insurance, which is not equitably available - not even for many working people. Yet we know with dead certainty that health emergencies are far more pervasive than property emergencies. Getting ourselves healthy and staying that way requires daily attention. Available, reliable and affordable health insurance can either help you with this goal or defeat you. Insurance makes a variety of preventative steps available; without it there's despair. (1/7/07, Tallahassee Democrat)
COMMENTARY: Nemours would help children as well as wallets
Do we need a Nemours hospital for children? You tell me. Florida hospitals are getting slammed with unpaid bills. Those that involve the poorest patients can be classified as charity, which can get the hospitals a minimal reimbursement from the federal government. The rest is bad debt. In Central Florida, hospitals took a $700 million hit in 2005. Statewide, the number is about $2 billion. One solution might be for Nemours to buy Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children from Orlando Regional. Orlando Regional then could invest that money in adults, while Nemours could begin subsidizing child care with money from the duPont trust. This leads to the next solution -- Nemours building a new children's hospital at Lake Nona. (1/9/07, Orlando Sentinel)
Tourist Rx: Traveling overseas for inexpensive, quality care
For surgeons in India, dentists in the Philippines, medical tourism is taking off -- and U.S. medical insurers are taking notice. Medicine is going global. Vacation time isn't just for fun. Increasingly, people who have never left the United States before are traveling thousands of miles for complex medical procedures. The reason is, simply, money. Treatments that would drive many people into bankruptcy at home often cost only a few thousand dollars in the developing world. (1/7/07, Miami Herald)
Blue Cross and Nemours Clinic Part Company
Thousands of families across the First Coast are having to explore their insurance options since Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and Nemours Children's Clinic have parted company. The two sides for months have been trying to work out a payment schedule. The separation took effect on January 1st. Nemours is a pediatric specialty clinic that serves patients from across the southeast. Blue Cross is the largest provider of health insurance in Florida Alice Montfort is a parent caught in the middle. Her 16 year-old son is recovering from cancer and gets follow up treatment at Nemours. (1/3/07, First Coast News)
Mental Health Bill to Face House Vote
After years of trying, advocates think they have a good chance of getting Congress to pass legislation next year that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, if their policies include both. The legislation, named for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who championed the cause, has strong support in Congress but has run into GOP roadblocks. In the last congressional session, 231 House members _ more than half of the chamber _ signed on as co-sponsors. The GOP leadership, which in the past had expressed concern that the proposal would drive up health insurance premiums, wouldn't bring it up for a vote. (12/28/06, 13 Central Florida News)
EDITORIAL: Pay trauma care share or prepare for lawsuit
For years, Treasure Coast counties have stiffed Palm Beach County with their trauma care bills, and Palm Beach soon may have few alternatives left but to take the dispute to court. Nearly a third of the trauma patients going to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach come from Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee or Indian River counties. But for more than a decade, they have refused to pay, saying that the state must cover the cost of running the trauma network the state created. But only Palm Beach taxes residents to pay for two trauma centers. So, the Palm Beach County Health Care District has been asking the Treasure Coast to pay a percentage of the St. Mary's budget; since the northern counties account for 30 percent of the patients, it's only fair that they pay for 30 percent of the budget. Yet efforts to find a rational settlement have gone nowhere. This is the sort of dispute that reasonable people should be able to work out by developing a reasonable payment formula. But Martin County, in particular, does not want to be reasonable. If the Legislature doesn't act, what choice will the Palm Beach County Health Care District have but to file a lawsuit? (12/26/06, Palm Beach Post)
Tot's family in a bind
Jacob Shuford's parents know their 2-year-old son could improve with a little more help, but even with health insurance, the amount of rehabilitation therapy he needs can be difficult to afford. Like a growing number of Americans, the Shufords have found themselves trapped in a health-insurance gray area. They earn too much money to qualify for most state and federal assistance programs. But they don't earn enough to cover Jacob's medical needs. (12/25/06, Miami Herald)
Local mental health agencies losing ground: They don’t have enough funds to be effective
What hasn’t gotten much attention is the deterioration of community mental health services intended to keep people like Montijo stable and out of the criminal justice system in the first place, according to advocates for the mentally ill. The number of inmates declared mentally incompetent has increased 72 percent since 1999. “It is a fractured, underfunded system,” said Sue Homant, director of the Florida chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Florida has between two and three times the number of severely mentally ill residents than the national average, yet the state ranks 48th in the country for per capita public spending on mental health care, according to NAMI. Per-capita mental health spending by Department of Children and Families, when adjusted for inflation, is less now than it was 10 years ago. And the privatization of Medicaid mental health services — in which the state controls costs by contracting with HMOs, which then subcontract with community providers — has forced some community mental health organizations to cut staff and even consider closing shop altogether. (12/14/06, St. Petersburg Times)
Many older Americans don't understand perils of not having long-term insurance
Florida has the highest percentage of seniors in the nation, and their numbers will rise by 25 percent over the next 15 years. Yet most older Americans don't know government programs often don't pay for assisted-living or nursing-home care and have no idea what such services cost, a new report has found. The isconceptions
highlighted in the study, released Wednesday by AARP, could spell trouble when the Baby Boomers hit retirement and are financially unprepared, AARP policy experts said. They are concerned that consumers' knowledge about long-term care has not improved since AARP did a similar study five years ago. The Costs of Long-Term Care: Public Perception Versus Reality in 2006 surveyed almost 1,500 Americans 45 and older and closely examined five states, including Florida. Among its findings: More than half of the Floridians surveyed
incorrectly think Medicare pays for long-term nursing home care. Four in 10 falsely think Medicare covers assisted living costs. More than three-fourths of residents don't know or underestimate how much nursing home care costs; the average Florida private pay rate is $6,200 monthly. (12/14/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Other Health Issues
Florida Gets Left Behind
The American Lung Association released its annual ranking of how states do in protecting the health of their residents. Florida, unfortunately, did poorly in three of the four categories. It received a D on the state's ability to restrict cigarette sales to minors. It received a F for having one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation. The average state tax is $1 a pack. Florida charges just under 34 cents a pack. It received a F for its failure to properly fund a tobacco-control-and-prevention program. The state managed a B for its smokefree workplace laws. (1/11/07, Lakeland Ledger)
New DCF Chief Promises Action on Mentally Ill Inmates
The state has up to 15 days to take custody of mentally ill inmates unfit to stand trial, but Bob Butterworth wants to make the move immediate. A Pinellas County circuit judge fined former DCF Secretary Lucy Hadi $80,000 and charged her with contempt for her department's failure to move the inmates within 15 days as required by law. Currently, 245 inmates have waited beyond that limit, leaving them jailed and legally able to refuse medications while their mental health deteriorates. Butterworth expects the Legislative Budget Commission, which meets today, to approve using $16.6 million in unspent budget dollars to temporarily end the inmate wait list. He will ask legislators in the upcoming session to approve an additional estimated $47 million to help prevent another huge backlog, he said. (1/10/07, Tampa Tribune)
Florida's Nursing Home Caregiver Levels Just Meet U.S. Standards
A promise made by the Florida Legislature in 2001 to raise basic care for nursing home residents to 2.9 hours per day finally is reality. That it happened at all amazes some tenacious advocates for the elderly, including state Sen. Nancy Argenziano, who championed the legislation that led to the increased care. Still, she criticizes fellow lawmakers for delaying the timetable of the original legislation to last week-the higher staffing level was to be reached in 2004. The original version called for nursing homes to provide 2.9 hours of certified nursing assistant care per day, but that's been changed to 2.9 hours averaged over a week. But at how high a cost? More than half of the state's nursing home residents are too poor to pay the freight, so their care is heavily subsidized by Medicaid. Yet the nursing home industry claims that the subsidy isn't enough to keep up with skyrocketing costs for medical care, insurance and other services. (1/7/0/7, Lakeland Ledger)
Fla. one of nation's 3 flu hot spots
When it comes to flu activity, Florida is one of three hot spots in the nation, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Physicians tracking flu cases across Florida are reporting widespread influenza activity to the federal agency. (12/28/06, Florida Today)
Flu Bug Is Here, But So Is Vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Florida, along with Georgia and Alabama, as one of the nation's hot spots for influenza. But health officials here say there is no widespread outbreak of the flu, just cases enough to let folks know "the flu bug is in town," said Stephen Dickey, medical director of the Tampa Bay area's Doctor's Walk-In Clinic chain. "We're seeing positive flu tests, so it's here," said Dickey, whose clinics are treating one to two people a day for the flu. A major outbreak would bring 15 to 20 people a day, he said. "But it's going to get worse." (12/27/06, Tampa Tribune)
OPINION: Florida critical list: Infant mortality, health-care access
by Patricia H. McWhirter, executive director of the Healthy Start Coalition of Osceola County
According to "America's Health Rankings," Florida, at No. 41, sadly ranked in the bottom fifth with states that have far fewer resources. Our challenges listed included a high uninsured population, racial health-care disparities and a high incidence of infectious disease. These challenges affect two key measures: low birth weight and infant mortality. Infant mortality is considered a sentinel indicator of the health of a community. It is linked to poverty, education, housing, community and family violence, and access to basic health care. In 2005, Florida had more than 1,600 infant deaths and more than 19,800 low birth-weight births (under 2,500 grams). Babies with a very low birth weight (under 1,500 grams) have a 25 percent chance of dying before age 1. These infants are at increased risk of long-term disability and impaired development. Although many women may obtain prenatal care, our challenge in Florida is a woman's health status before pregnancy, which is related to an increase in fetal and infant deaths associated with prematurity. This is also the indicator in which the greatest racial health disparities are occurring. (12/27/06, Orlando Sentinel)
EDITORIAL: Rush for treatment: State playing catch-up with human lives
Time and again, the Florida Department of Children and Families requested enough money to keep mentally ill prisoners out of jail. And nearly every time, Gov. Jeb Bush and the state Legislature said no. Suddenly, that's a problem. State law says prisoners who aren't mentally competent to stand trial must be moved to treatment facilities within 15 days. A series of lawsuits around the state during the past few months revealed that DCF falls chronically short of that goal. Some prisoners wait months before they're placed in an appropriate facility, and at any given time the backlog represents hundreds of prisoners who aren't getting treatment they need. As a result, men and women are languishing behind bars while their cases languish in the court system. Victims of crimes these people are accused of committing face a long and indeterminate wait for justice. (12/22/06, Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Doctor's bankruptcy filing provides malpractice haven
Dr. Jacques Farkas thought he would be sued as soon as the surgical drill slipped from his hands and sliced the exposed nerves in his patient's lower back. "This may be a lawsuit," Farkas told an operating room nurse during the 2001 procedure. Two years later, Thelma McAloon did sue the neurosurgeon and JFK Medical Center in Atlantis. The mistake left the Boynton Beach woman with no control of her bladder or bowels, pain in her legs, numbness in her feet and no feeling in her vagina. But Dr. Jacques Farkas was able to use state and federal bankruptcy laws to shield all but $16,000 of his $2.6 million in assets from creditors and malpractice victims. Doctors have complained for years about a "jackpot jury" system and that skyrocketing liability costs have threatened their livelihoods. The Florida Medical Association has warned that doctors are leaving the state because they fear losing their homes from even one malpractice suit. But observers say doctors have little to worry about from the Florida malpractice system. It typically takes at least five years to bring a malpractice suit to a jury and appeals can add at least another three years before a final judgment. Doctors effectively cannot be sued for malpractice that causes a death of a patient, if the patient does not have a surviving spouse or children under age 25. A 2003 state law generally caps how much most patients can recoup in "pain and suffering" damages to $500,000. Because Florida doctors are allowed not to carry malpractice coverage, they must pay only $250,000 of a malpractice judgment if they want to retain their license. If they don't pay, they could be subject to punishment by the state Board of Medicine. (12/24/06, Palm Beach Post)
Donation to UF will fund Naples pediatric dental clinic
With the help of a recent $5.5 million gift, the University of Florida is looking to provide pediatric dental care to disadvantaged children in Collier County. The Naples Children & Education Foundation gave the gift to help fund the construction of a UF dental program at Edison College. The program is expected to open in fall 2008 to provide pediatric dental treatment to Medicaid-eligible and at-risk children. The proposed $8 million education and dental facility will be 20,000 square feet in size and treat an estimated 15,000 patients a year.
(12/19/06, Gainesville Sun)
High prices don't translate into better healthcare in South Florida
In the still murky world of healthcare information, high costs of healthcare are not at all linked to high quality care in South Florida. With studies showing that South Florida has among the highest healthcare costs in the country, consumers might assume local hospitals' performance on quality standards would be among the tops in the country. Think again. After a thorough examination of quality data made public by Medicare, Harvard researchers have discovered South Florida's performance is among the worst in the country in two out of three key categories. In two of the three main categories -- treatment for heart attack and for pneumonia -- the Miami region ranked in the bottom five, the researchers wrote in their article, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. For the third category, congestive heart failure, it didn't do much better, finishing 29th out of 40. (12/17/06, Miami Herald)
What do you do when your health care system is sick? Lack of doctors reaches to all patients despite insurance coverage
After merely six years in practice, Dr. David Willis has a schedule so full that he has stopped accepting new patients. The primary-care physician sees as many as 35 patients a day, and he's not alone in doing so. Dr. Yousef Elyaman, an internist and pediatrician, who is about to open a practice at West Marion Medical Plaza, is expecting to see as many as 30 patients a day. He was still arranging his office furniture late last week, but he saw no problem filling up his schedule. "When Ocala Regional recruited me, they said that the area is short on primary-care doctors," said Elyaman. Two separate studies by the main hospitals in Marion County - Munroe Regional Medical Center and Ocala Regional Medical Center - found the North Central Florida region will need between 30 and 60 new primary-care doctors by 2011. The shortage of primary-care doctors is not a new issue, according to Dr. Nate Grossman, director of Marion County Health Department, who has been in public health for the past two decades. However, the severity of the shortage in Florida has been magnified in recent years because of the growing and aging population. (12/16/06, Ocala Star-Banner)
EDITORIAL: Health district on call for county's ER crisis
After three years and $705,000, there still is no solution to Palm Beach County's shortage of hospital emergency-room specialists. "It was three years ago this month," said Tenna Wiles, executive director of the Palm Beach County Medical Society, "that a hospital called and said to us...We have a real big problem in the ER." The problem grew so dire that The Post reported in 2004 that patients needing neurosurgeons, hand surgeons and other specialists were being transferred to Miami, Gainesville and Tampa. From Washington to Tallahassee to Belle Glade to Boca Raton, public health officials, consultants and a group of hospital CEOs and physicians have studied the crisis, the cause and the cost. But for the climax, stay tuned. Last month, the Emergency Department Management Group tossed the issue back to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. (12/15/06, Palm Beach Post)
An Innovation in Health Care Opens at CVS/pharmacy Stores in Jacksonville
Quick, convenient, quality medical care has come to Jacksonville with the opening of three MinuteClinic health care centers at CVS/pharmacy locations in the metropolitan region. MinuteClinic health care centers are staffed by board-certified nurse practitioners who specialize in Family Medicine and are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions (when clinically appropriate) for common family illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations, such as flu shots, tetanus, MMR, and Hepatitis A & B.MinuteClinic health care centers are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (12/15/06, EarthTimes)
NATIONAL NEWS & OPINIONS
Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost
Medicare Drug Program Costing Less Than Estimates, U.S. Says
The Bush administration lowered its estimate in hopes of undercutting support for a Democratic proposal that
calls for negotiating drug prices. (1/7/07, New York Times)
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Enrollment Deadline Will Be Extended For Seniors Who Did Not Receive Timely Information About Their Current Coverage
Medicare beneficiaries who did not receive timely information about benefit and cost changes for their current Medicare prescription drug plans will have until Feb. 15 to select coverage for 2007. Beneficiaries had until Dec. 31, 2006, to enroll in or change Medicare drug plans, although administration officials had urged beneficiaries to act by Dec. 8, 2006, to avoid problems. Federal officials told private insurers that sponsor Medicare drug plans that they had to send "annual notice-of-change" documents to beneficiaries by Oct. 31, 2006, informing them of any changes to their plans. UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest sponsors of Medicare drug plans, and possibly other insurers did not send the documents on time, acting CMS Deputy Administrator Herb Kuhn said. About 250,000 beneficiaries were affected and will have until Feb. 15 to make changes. (Reuters, 12/29/06)
Second Year
Pharmacists and patient advocates have reported fewer problems with the Medicare prescription drug benefit in early 2007 than they did in early 2006, when the program began. Medicare beneficiaries had until Dec. 31, 2006, to enroll in or switch prescription drug plans, and coverage for the 2007 plan year began on Jan. 1. Last year Medicare beneficiaries experienced problems with access to medications because of computer glitches, long waits at pharmacies and other issues. Medicare Rights Center attributed the decrease in reports of problems with the Medicare prescription drug benefit in part to new rules that require health insurers to provide beneficiaries with a 30-day supply of medications previously covered, regardless of whether the treatments are covered for 2007 (1/5/07, USA Today)
Democrats Draft Bill That Would Require HHS To Negotiate Prices For Medicare Prescription Drugs
House Democrats on Friday plan to introduce a bill that would require the HHS secretary to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies on prices for medications under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, CQ HealthBeat reports. A draft version of the legislation circulated this week stated that "notwithstanding any other provision of law, the secretary shall negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged for covered Part D drugs for Part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a prescription drug plan or under" a Medicare Advantage plan. The bill would not authorize the HHS secretary to "establish or require" a formulary for the Medicare prescription drug benefit, although private health insurers that sponsor prescription drug plans could continue to use formularies. According to Democratic aides, the legislation would allow private health insurers that sponsor Medicare prescription drug plans to offer lower prices on medications than the HHS secretary obtains through negotiations with pharmaceutical companies. The House likely will address the bill on Jan. 12. (1/9/07, CQ HealthBeat)
Democrats’ Drug Plan Has Pitfalls, Critics Say
Democrats want the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, but insist that the government should not decide which drugs are covered. Many economists and health policy experts see this as a paradox. The only way to get big savings and discounts, they say, is to steer patients to certain preferred drugs. (1/7/07, New York Times)
OPINION: First, Do Less Harm
"The inability of private middlemen to win a fair competition against traditional Medicare was embarrassing to those who sing the praises of privatization," according to Krugman, who adds, "Maybe that's why the Bush administration made sure that there is no [public-private] competition at all in Part D, the drug program." Because of this, Part D is "needlessly expensive" and "highly confusing," Krugman writes. The Democratic majority in Congress likely will require "Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the private drug plans," but it also should "go further and force Medicare to offer direct drug coverage that competes on a financially fair basis with the private plans," Paul Krugman writes. (1/5/07, New York Times)
Democrats Draft Bill to Require HHS to Negotiate Medicare Drug Prices
House Democrats are circulating a draft bill that would require the Health and Human Services (HHS)secretary to negotiate lower prices for drugs covered by the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Although the language requiring such negotiations sounds tough, analysts contacted Wednesday differed on whether it would actually lead to lower prices under the Medicare benefit. Democratic aides, however, insisted it would produce large savings. (1/4/07, CQ HealthBeat)
Patients in Doughnut Hole Go Hungry Despite Patient Assistance Programs
Many patient assistance programs operated by pharmaceutical companies provide no or limited assistance to
low-income Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the prescription drug benefit, regardless of whether beneficiaries have reached the "doughnut hole" coverage gap, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Under the doughnut hole, Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for 100% of annual prescription drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100. (12/13/06, New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Other Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP News
Medicare Payments To Physicians Will Be Reduced By 10% In 2008
Medicare physician reimbursements will decrease by 10% in 2008 under a tax, trade and health care law signed by President Bush on Dec. 20, 2006, according to a final scoring document released on Dec. 28, 2006, by the Congressional Budget Office. The law includes a provision that will reverse a 5.1% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements scheduled for 2007. (1/5/07, CQ HealthBeat)
President Bush Signs Bill To Stop Medicare Physician Reimbursement Rate Reduction, Address Other Health Care FundingPresident Bush signed into law a tax, trade and health care bill (HR 6111) that includes provisions to reverse a 5.1% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements scheduled for 2007 and to loosen contribution limits for health savings accounts. The law maintains the current level of Medicare physician reimbursements in 2007 and provides a 1.5% increase in reimbursements to physicians who agree to report data on certain quality-of-care measures. In addition, the law eliminates a requirement that annual contributions to HSAs not exceed the amount of the annual deductibles for the health plans to which they are linked. The law will increase the maximum annual contribution to HSAs to $2,850 for individuals and $5,650 for families (12/21/06, Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report)
Health Insurance and Costs
EDITORIAL: Mr. Schwarzenegger’s Modest Idea
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger merits "special recognition" for beginning his new term with a proposal to insure all children in his state, including undocumented immigrants. Illinois, Maine and New Jersey, already have universal coverage for children. But with 750,000 uninsured youths, California might have the biggest number of uninsured children. The editorial agrees that "putting children first is a good start" towards broadening coverage overall, and concludes that Schwarzenegger's efforts "should infect the national health care debate." (1/8/0/7, New York Times)
Schwarzenegger’s Plan for Universal Care Draws No Universal Agreement
Just 96 hours later, Democrats and Mr. Schwarzenegger’s fellow Republicans are already in agreement: his first big idea of his second term — a sweeping plan unveiled Monday to assure health care to all Californians — is promising and ambitious, but faces a long, hard fight before enactment. Chief among the challenges, politicians and policy analysts said Tuesday, is the enormous number of political players — from big labor and big insurance to small-county government — that would be affected by any universal health care bill. (1/10/07, New York Times)
California’s Governor Seeks Universal Care
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday proposed extending health care coverage to all of California’s 36 million residents as part of a sweeping package of changes to the state’s huge, troubled health care system. A total of 6.5 million people, one-fifth of the state’s population, do not have health insurance, far more than in any other state. At least one million of the uninsured are illegal immigrants, state officials say. Under Mr. Schwarzenegger’s plan, which requires the approval of the Legislature, California would become the fourth and by far the largest state to attempt near universal health coverage for its citizens. The other three states are Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont. (1/9/07, New York Times)
States Take Initiative on Expanding Health Coverage
Rather than waiting for federal action, states are planning their own "aggressive and potentially expansive" ways to cover more of the uninsured. (1/8/07, USA Today)
In ’05, Medical Bills Grew at Slowest Pace in 6 Years
Spending on health care in the United States increased in 2005 at the slowest pace in six years, mostly because of much slower growth in spending on prescription drugs, the government reported Monday. It was the third consecutive year of slower growth in the nation’s medical bills. Total health spending reached nearly $2 trillion in 2005, growing only a bit faster than the economy as a whole, officials said. But with new medical technology becoming available every month and with a generation of baby boomers approaching old age, federal officials made no bold claims about having tamed health costs. (1//9/0/7, New York Times)
OPINION: There May Be Hope for the Uninsured in 2007
Columnist Paul Krugman is hopeful that 2007 "will be the year we start the move toward universal coverage." (1/2/07, New York Times)
OPINION: A Healthy New Year
Paul Krugman calls the U.S. health care system is a scandal and a disgrace. But maybe, just maybe, 2007 will be the year we start the move toward universal coverage...Many of the uninsured, asserted the 2004 Economic Report of the President, "remain uninsured as a matter of choice."... Some say that we can't afford universal health care, even though every year lack of insurance plunges millions of Americans into severe financial distress and sends thousands to an early grave. But every other advanced country somehow manages to provide all its citizens with essential care. The only reason universal coverage seems hard to achieve here is the spectacular inefficiency of the U.S. health care system. (1/1/07, The New York Times)
Economic View: Health Care Problem? Check the American Psyche
The economic case for a single-payer system is surprisingly strong. WHAT is the most pressing problem facing the economy? A good case can be made for the developing health care crisis. Soaring costs, growing ranks of uninsured and a steady erosion of corporate health benefits add up to a giant drag on the nation’s future prosperity. While the outlook seems scary, it doesn’t have to be. There is a solution, proven effective for hundreds of millions of people: single-payer health insurance. (12/31/06, The New York Times)
The New Congress Will Bring a Renewed Focus to Health Care, with an Eye to 2008
Health care will be a focus for the new, Democratically-led Congress, which convenes this week, according to reports in both the Washington Post and the New York Times. (12/25/06, Washington Post)
OPINION: Health Insurance Mandates Will Not Help the Uninsured
Mandatory health insurance such as that recently enacted in Massachusetts and under consideration in California "is a step in the wrong direction," writes John R. Graham, director of health care studies at the Pacific Research Institute, in the Washington Post. (12/21/06, Washington Post)
Democratic Congress Is Expected to Push for Health Reform and Expand Insurance Coverage
A focus on health care and the uninsured is expected as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, with Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon already outlining an "ambitious" universal coverage plan. (12/19/06, USA Today)
OPINION: America Must Expand Health Coverage to Reduce Inequality
The rise in inequality in America is exacerbated by a health care system based on employer-provided health coverage, and health care reform is needed to address it, according to a Washington Post editorial. (12/13/06, Washington Post)
States Explore Different Ways to Expand Health Insurance Coverage
States around the nation are considering plans to expand health insurance or provide universal coverage. (12/13/06, New York Times, etc.)
Other Health Issues
Power Shift in Congress Revives Health Debate
House Democrats will try to rush legislation forcing the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and overturning the restrictions on stem cell research. (1/2/07, The New York Times)
Warnings Proposed for Over-the-Counter Drugs
The dangers of over-the-counter painkillers will be prominently highlighted on the labels under a new proposal by the F.D.A. (12/20/06, The New York Times)
A Worldwide Crisis
A shortage of health care workers disproportionately affects developing countries, but it endangers us all. Here in the United States, we hear a lot about the problem of access to health care, and that problem is often equated with access to health insurance. But at least as basic as the ability to pay for health care is the availability of qualified health care workers. (12/19/06, H&HN Magazine)
The New Age: A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School
Education is the one factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in all countries. (1/3/07, New York Times)
HEALTH ADVOCACY RESOURCES
January 12, 2007
Florida CHAIN Website Resources
Grants and Fellowships
Organizations and Services
Manuals, Guides and Toolkits
Technology and Audio Visual Materials
Audioconferences and Webcasts
Media Programming
Web Sites, Web Features
Videos
Periodicals and Books
Reports and Studies
New Listings
New Listings: Medicare, Medicaid
New: Health Insurance, Health Care Costs
New: Health Equity Issues
New: Other Health Issues
Florida Reports
Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIPS
Federal Budget/Health Care
Health Insurance, Health Costs, Health Care Reform
Health Equity Issues
Other Health Issues
FLORIDA CHAIN WEB SITE RESOURCE UPDATE
Florida Medicaid Reform PowerPoint Presentation
Educate your colleagues and/or employees on Florida Medicaid Reform basics. with Florida CHAIN's PowerPoint presentation for public use. Feel free to call Florida CHAIN for more information about Medicaid reform or about the PowerPoint: 954-791-7314.
The Florida CHAIN web site now includes resource information in Spanish.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
New grant listings
Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice to Support Healthcare Advocacy Work With Communities of Color
Deadline: Feb 2
A program of FamiliesUSA, the Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice is designed to foster the advancement of social justice through participation in healthcare advocacy work that focuses on the unique challenges facing many communities of color. Through this fellowship, Families USA hopes to expand the pool of talented social justice advocates from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. The goals of the Wellstone fellowship program are to: address disparities in access to health care; inspire Wellstone Fellows to continue to work for social justice throughout their lives; and increase the number and racial and ethnic diversity of up-and-coming social justice advocates and leaders.
Healthy Eating Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity - Round 2
Deadline: Feb 13
Healthy Eating Research is a national Robert Wood Johnson Foundationprogram that supports research on environmental and policy strategies to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among low-income and racial/ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity. This second round of funding focuses on children's food environments and policies in selected community settings: preschool, child-care, school and after-school environments, as well as nearby food outlets.
Building Human CapitalApplication deadline: Feb 15The Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program fosters the development of physicians who will lead the transformation of American's health care. These future leaders will conduct innovative research and work with communities, organizations, practitioners and policy-makers on issues important to the health and well-being of all Americans. Program highlights include: leadership training; mentoring; protected research time; national networking; and health services and community-based research training.
The Effect of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination/Bias on Healthcare DeliveryDeadline: variable
The purposes of this Funding Opportunity Announcement are: (1) to improve the measurement of racial/ethnic discrimination in healthcare delivery systems; (2) to enhance understanding of the influence of racial/ethnic discrimination in healthcare delivery and its association with disparities; and (3) to reduce the prevalence of racial/ethnic health disparities.
is seeking visionaries with an incredible, new idea that could change your community, country, or world. Are you an entrepreneur who won't rest until your idea has been brought to life? If so, apply for an Echoing Green Fellowship. You could receive up to $90,000 in seed funding and support to launch a new organization that turns your innovative idea for social change into action. Find out whether you qualify. For more information contact jeremy@echoinggreen.org.
Continuing grant listings, in order of submission deadlines
Fresh Ideas: Improving the Health of Immigrant and Refugee Communities
Application Deadline: Jan 15
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative aims to give immigrants and refugees the tools and support they need to improve and maintain their own health. Today, more than 30 million immigrants and refugees live in the United States. They often have high rates of chronic health problems, due at least in part to difficulties they have getting appropriate social and health services. Language barriers, lack of education and cultural differences sometimes make it harder for immigrants and refugees to obtain culturally appropriate services, outreach or other information that could help them live healthier lives.
HRET Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship
Deadline: Jan. 30
The Health Research and Educational Trust and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management (IFD), in partnership with the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), Health Forum, and the American Hospital Association (AHA), are now accepting applications for the Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship. Now in its second year, the program equips participants with critical skills to lead their organizations in providing safe, high quality care to multicultural patients and communities. Fellows explore practical approaches to assessing organizational competence, enhancing patient-provider interaction, and using systems approaches to reduce disparities. Community practitioners and teams are encouraged to apply.
Community Access to Child Health Implementation Funds Program
Deadline: Jan 31
American Academy of Pediatrics has released a 2007 Call for Proposals for the Community Access to Child Health Implementation Funds program. CATCH provides grants to support pediatricians in the planning or pilot stages of the implementation of community-based child health initiatives. Grants should lead to the initialization of implementation projects aimed at increasing access to medical homes and other needed services. A pediatrician must lead the project and be significantly involved. Priority will given to projects serving communities with the greatest demonstrated healthcare access needs and health disparities. Grants of up to $10,000 each are awarded each year on a competitive basis to pediatricians who want to address the local needs of children in the community. This is a six-month implementation grant. Only applicants from US and territories are eligible, and must be members of AAP.
NIH: Social and Cultural Dimensions of Health
Application deadline: variable
The ultimate goal of this program announcement is to encourage the development of health research that integrates knowledge from the biomedical and social sciences. This announcement invites applications to (a) elucidate basic social and cultural constructs and processes used in health research, (b) clarify social and cultural factors in the etiology and consequences of health and illness, (c) link basic research to practice for improving prevention, treatment, health services, and dissemination, and (d) explore ethical issues in social and cultural research related to health.
Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization
Application Deadline: Open
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program supports policy analysis, research, evaluation and demonstration projects that provide policy leaders timely information on health care policy and financing issues. This Call for Proposals is intended to support projects that: 1) examine significant issues and interventions related to health care financing and organization and their effects on health care costs, quality and access; and 2) explore or test major new ways to finance and organize health care that have the potential to improve access to more affordable and higher quality health services.
Funding for Community-Based Approaches to Improve Care for Vulnerable Populations
Deadline: Rolling
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting applications for its Fresh Ideas: Community-Based Approaches to Improve Care for Vulnerable Populations grant program. The purpose of this program is to promote community-based approaches to health and health care problems that interact with social problems. Examples include inadequate housing, poor education and poverty. Priority is given to projects that focus on hard-to-reach populations such as new immigrants and refugees and at-risk adolescents.
Research Proposals on Disparities Issues
Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation seeks to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the care of patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus type 2 and/or depression. To that end, RWJF invites research proposals that offer solutions towards reducing health care disparities. RWJF encourages researchers to include data and analyses in their proposals to help us better understand these disparities related to: sub-ethnic and other marginalized groups (e.g., Mexican, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese and American Indian); and acculturation factors (e.g., generation, years in US, age of migration and language proficiency). RWJF will consider projects of up to $75,000 with a one-year time frame.
State Coverage Initiatives
Through funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, State Coverage Initiatives offers both policy planning and demonstration grants. SCI grants are designed to support states in the early stages of planning coverage expansions and those states that have decided on a new coverage expansion mechanism and seek assistance designing and implementing the program. Specific new grant opportunities are announced on the Web site and through the e-newsletter, St@teside; however, states may submit project ideas at any time. For specific info, contact isabel.friedenzohn@academyhealth.org or 202/292-6726
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.
ORGANZATIONS AND SERVICES
Newly posted resources are at the top of the list.
Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is a comprehensive independent source of health care information and assistance for older adults and people with disabilities. Multiple services include: a telephone hotline; a database of case advice; education and training; public policy work; electronic newsletters; and communications with local and national media outlets. To help you understand your Medicare health plan choices, the Medicare Rights Center offers Medicare Interactive (MI), a web-based Medicare counseling tool.
Training Alliance for Communities of Color
This website is from National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color, a partnership between Families USA, the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (HPI), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, and the National Medical Association (NMA). Their mission is to empower community leaders, elected officials, and journalists from communities of color with pertinent information about health policy developments in order to: expand their capacity to address and catalyze action on crucial health and health care issues; bolster the skills of leaders from communities of color to play a more influential role in shaping and creating health policies that are of relevance to their respective communities; and engage diverse leaders in national health policy development.
Access to Benefits Coalition
The nonprofit ABC is dedicated to ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes know about and make the best use of all available resources for accessing prescription drugs and reducing their costs. ABC is working through local community coalitions to inform beneficiaries and their families, as well as the professionals who serve them, about Medicare Part-D. Extra Help is provided online or in person; find out if you or someone qualifies by going to BenefitsCheckUpRx?. Publications include: Applying for the Low-Income Subsidy: A Tool Kit for Advocates; and Pathways to Success: Meeting the Challenge of Enrolling Medicare Beneficiaries with Limited Incomes
The National Hispanic Resource Help-Line 1/800-473-3003 provides support for Latinos throughout the nation who need information about educational, health and human service providers. To become part of their database, click here.
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
Newly posted resources are at the top of the list.
New/Updated Resources Medicare Drug Plan Resources
In advance of the 2007 Medicare drug plans open enrollment period beginning Nov. 15, Kaiser Family Foundation has issued a series of new and updated resources based on ongoing research including consumer surveys:
Updated fact sheet providing state-specific data about Medicare drug plan options for 2007, including stand-alone drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans, and information on premiums, gap coverage, and availability to beneficiaries who qualify for full low-income assistance.
Updated Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit fact sheet, with a revised estimate that 4 million people will be affected by the coverage gap in 2006, as well as current enrollment and low-income subsidy participation and updated Medicare per capita drug spending.
Updated Talking About Medicare online consumer guide, reflecting 2007 benefit changes, to help people with Medicare and their families understand options and make decisions based on their personal situations; includes information about financial assistance for those with limited incomes, supplemental insurance options, and Medicare Advantage.
Fact Sheets and Primer on the Uninsured
The Kaiser Family Foundation has collected links to some resources on the topics of health coverage and the nation’s uninsured population to assist you in your work related to these issues:
The Uninsured and Their Access to Care
Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources
Massachusetts’ New Law to Cover the Uninsured
Women's Health Insurance Coverage
The Uninsured: A Primer
Applying for the Part D Low-Income Subsidy: A Tool Kit for Advocates
Access to Benefits Coalition provides these Tools You Can Use to help people apply for the extra help available through the new Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.
Families USA is offering Making Public Programs Work for Communities of Color: An Action Kit for Community Leaders, from its Minority Health Initiatives Department. The kit provides community leaders with information, tools, and resources to engage in health advocacy and improve the health and well being of their communities. Emphasizing the importance of public programs in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities, the kit contains: a summary and statistics of racial and ethnic health disparities and the role public programs can play in reducing them; an overview of Medicaid (and SCHIP) and Medicare, including their relationships to communities of color; fact sheets on improving health coverage for racial and ethnic minority groups; state and local case studies on health advocacy; advocacy tools including a powerpoint presentation, and lists of organizations and publications. Contact: 202/628-3030 or rpanares@familiesusa.org.
Florida Healthy Kids Marketing and Public Relations Tool Kit
Healthy Kids asks users to please forward updates on items used, including how they were used, numbers distributed and feedback on effectiveness. Call center staff need to be aware of any efforts so they know which items are out in each community and are prepared to address questions. Send requests to floyda@healthykids.org or fax to 850/224-0615.
The Medicaid Matters web site is a resource for people working across the country to protect Medicaid, the health insurance that 50 million rely on. It stores a ready-to-use toolkit of messages, materials and dissemination ideas. Users are able to download, at no cost, tested messages emphasizing the importance of Medicaid and the threat now facing the program. Messages are enhanced by high quality, full color photography. One set of materials is designed to be ready to print. Once downloaded, they can be forwarded to any print house or copy shop without any further formatting. The second set of materials is designed so that components of the product can be adapted to suit the needs of that organization or constituency that wishes to use them.
TECHNOLOGY AND AUDIO/VIDEO RESOURCES
Audio Conferences and Webcasts
Dated events listed chronologically; standing webcasts listed last
ACHI Audio Conference
Jan.18 2:00 pm ET
Primary Care Access Network: Health Care for the Underinsured
Federal Budget Advocacy Made Simple
Sign up by clicking on the date most convenient for you (please only sign up for one date):
Jan 24 2:30 pm-4:00 pm EST
Feb 1 12:30 pm-2:00 pm EST
The President's budget will be out on February 5. Will you be ready? Sign up for an online Coalition for Human Needs training session to learn: What's at stake for human needs in the coming year's budget decisions, including the basics: how the budget process works, when decisions are made, and who makes them; and practical tools to help you make the case for the right budget priorities. Contact mdonahue@chn.org or 202/223-2532 x27.
ACHI Audio Conference
Feb. 15 2:00 pm ET
Maximizing Community Benefit's Impact on Community Health
Ask the Experts: Open Enrollment for Medicare Part D
As the open enrollment period for Medicare Part D begins, panelists on this Nov. 14, 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation "Ask the Experts" episode discuss how plan choices are changing, how the process is going for beneficiaries and what they should think about when making drug coverage decisions. Available in video, podcast or transcript.
The Medicare Drug Benefit: Counseling strategies for the 2007 enrollment period
In this web seminar, you will learn: How Medicare benefits will be changing next year; What people with Medicare drug coverage need to know; If people will still get Extra Help next year if they had it this year; What rights people have if they change Medicare drug plans this year. Available in recording or transcript.
Media Programming
Web Sites, Web Features & Databases
Newest postings are listed at the top of State and National Web Resources sections below
State Web Resources
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.
"2006 Kids Count” Report
The annual report measures each state in terms of 10 statistics, including infant mortality, teen birth rate and infants born with low birthweights. The report finds no change in U.S. infant mortality since 2000, less than a percentage point increase to 7.9% in 2003 in the percentage of infants born weighing less than 5.5 pounds and a decrease in the teen birth rate from 48 births per 1,000 girls in 2000 to 42 births per 1,000 in 2003. (6/27/06, Annie E. Casey Foundation)
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).
Statehealthfacts.org provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states, covering more than 500 health topics.
Florida Progressive Information Network (FLPIN)
offers a nonpartisan communication system designed to link progressive organizers with progressive activists. Individuals may sign up free of charge to receive alerts on a variety of progressive issues from other organizations participating in the Network. In order to make FLPIN work, it must be used on a regular basis. The more information put in, the more valuable it is as a tool. Link FLPIN to organization websites. A training manual is at www.flpin.net/alert.pdf. For more information or assistance, contact jen@floridahumanist.org
National Web Resources
Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health
The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) presents the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. This resource is a no-cost, easy-to-use website that puts national, state, and regional survey findings right at your fingertips. You'll find: interactive data search tools; personalized technical help by email or telephone and information and examples to help you use data more effectively.
Metropolitan Quality of Life Data
Diversitydata.org allows visitors to explore how metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. perform on a diverse range of social measures via a dataset of socioeconomic indicators in the form of tables, thematic maps, and customizable reports. The data cover various racial/ethnic, income and nativity groups. Multiple data sources have been used to show data for numerous domains such as housing opportunities, economic opportunities, residential integration, and health.
New HHS Web Site Promoting Long-Term Care Planning
The National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information Web site provides comprehensive information about long-term care planning, services and financing options, along with tools to help people begin the planning process. The clearinghouse Web site is designed to increase public awareness about the risks and costs of long-term care and the potential need for services, and to provide objective information to help people plan for the future. The new Web site also supports the "Own Your Future" education campaign, a joint federal-state initiative designed to increase consumer awareness about planning for long-term care.
CVS/pharmacy Helps Seniors Find The Right Medicare Part D Plan
CVS/pharmacy has launched an online Medicare Plan Comparison Tool. The tool is available through the web and at CVS pharmacies. Designed to help millions of eligible seniors find the Medicare Part D plan that best suits their needs, the user-friendly CVS/pharmacy Medicare Plan Comparison Tool is part of CVS/pharmacy's ongoing efforts to educate seniors about their Medicare Part D options.
New Online Medical Dictionary Reference Tool
MediLexicon International Limited, corporate owners of Medical News Today, was pleased to announce on Nov. 11 the launch of a new medical dictionary tool. This dictionary search is a joint collaboration between MediLexicon and Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, who have provided the data.
Online Interactive Medicare Advantage Comparison Tools
Before making the switch to Medicare Advantage, beneficiaries can compare plans to determine their needs. Then they can review each plan using the “Guidelines for Considering Medicare Advantage” from the Center for Medicare Advocacy. More information about Medicare Advantage managed care plans is online at Medicare.gov. More recent FAQs on private fee-for-service plans is available through CMS.
Online Parent SCHIP Information
To assist in the growing problem of America's uninsured children, medical insurance hub HealthInsuranceFinders has added information to assist parents in finding and understanding all of their health insurance options: a State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) section with an overview of State Children Health Insurance Programs for each state.
State By State National Survey of Children’s Health Data Resource Center Dataset
The DRC Child Health Indicators version of the 2003 NSCH Dataset is now available. Added to the data sets are the 65 Child Health Indicators for the DRC online data query and the National Chartbook. Also included are Healthy People 2010 relevant indicators and key socio-demographic variables.
Comprehensive source of Hispanic data
Recent release from the Census Bureau with data and linkage to sources covering many areas.
Statehealthfacts.org Data Updates
New updates include 2005 Medicaid Spending and Enrollment, Adult Overweight/Obesity Rates, and Child Health for 2005. New 2003 child health data from the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health on the percentage of children who are overweight and children who have accessed mental health services have also been added and are available by state and region.
Private Health Insurance 101 Tutorial
This new Kaiser Family Foundation narrated slide tutorial provides an overview of the private health insurance system, discussing basic concepts that are important in understanding private health insurance and how it works, such as risk spreading/risk selection, pluralism, costs, coverage, and regulation. Tutorial slides can be downloaded.
Updated Medicare 101 Tutorial
The newly expanded Kaiser Family Foundation tutorial gives an overview of Medicare, describes how it works and explores the program's challenges. The tutorial has been updated to include the latest information on Medicare spending, the prescription drug benefit and future challenges.
Rural Communities Statistics and Information
The Rural Assistance Center has added to its Web site a new resource providing continuously updated demographics and statistics, documents and resources and contacts for all 50 states. RAC said the federally funded "State Resources" addition is designed to help health care providers and human services representatives in rural communities with activities such as locating and competing for funding opportunities and networking.
American Community Census Data Online
The new poverty, income, and health insurance data from the U.S. Census Bureau released on August 29, 2006 is available online. This year, it has more state and local data than in previous annual surveys.
Covering Kids & Families Web Site
New layout includes Back to School Campaign resources; Communications Action Center, a one-stop outreach resource; new Covering Kids & Families Policy Center; new promising strategies section; resources for families looking for information about low-cost and free health care coverage; streamlined free materials ordering section; new PSA featuring Bernie Mac; royalty-free photos; resources for event planners. For more information, call 202/338-7227 or email coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com.
New Community Health Action Web Site
This website is intended to give leaders at community-based organizations, easy and ready access to important information on healthcare issues. The site also features a free quarterly newsletter called Community Health Advocacy News & Views with resources and information.
State Level Data on Health Coverage & the Uninsured
Kaiser Family Foundation's interactive web tool includes the health insurance status of the state’s population (those with various types of health coverage or who are uninsured), and demographic information (such as income, race/ethnicity, age, gender) for those who are uninsured, have employer-based insurance, or Medicaid. Information about Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries can be found in those respective categories. Find data from other categories on the website that relate to Health Coverage & Uninsured.
The Johns Hopkins INFO Project's New OneSource Database
This provides one-stop access to over 360,000 resources and six separate databases with a single mouse click or search term. OneSource users can quickly search for reports, articles, documents, posters and pamphlets, photos, web sites, Q&As and news articles through a single interface. An enhanced search and browse capability makes finding global family planning, reproductive health and population information faster and more simple than ever. Enter your terms in the search box. Select the resource type you want to look for, or search all six databases at once, and click Search.
Uninsured Tutorial, Module, and Reference Library
This KaiserEDU.org page contains comprehensive resources including links to key research, policy analysis, and the latest data and statistics on the uninsured.
Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions includes a corresponding PowerPoint presentation. (Cover the Uninsured)
Immigrant Health Policy Reference Library
This new compendium summarizes data and research on immigrants’ health coverage and access to care. The library also includes a list of organizations that conduct analysis on the impact of major health policies on immigrants and presents research on specific populations, including Latino, African and Asian immigrants.
Medicaid Fact Sheets Tool
Compare your state's Medicaid program and the population it serves to other states and the nation by visiting Kaiser's new interactive online State Medicaid Fact Sheets tool.
Interactive Tools on Medicaid
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured presents the State Medicaid Fact Sheets and the Medicaid Benefits Online Database, two interactive tools featuring the latest key data, information and services provided for each state’s Medicaid program. Both tools allow for easy access to the data which can then be printed, saved and emailed.
2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines
The Southern Institute on Children and Families, National Program Office for Covering Kids & Families has made available the 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Compiled from the 2006 HHS Poverty Guidelines, these guidelines provide income levels for families at 50%, 100%, 125%, 133%, 150%, 185% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Healthcare Coverage Options Database: Assistance for Obtaining Health Coverage
This Web site provides information on health insurance options for low-income U.S. residents. The site includes comprehensive information on large-scale programs like Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the federal Health Care Tax Credit Program, as well as hundreds of smaller state, federal, and private programs.
Videos
Covering Kids & Families Video
Parents' Action for Children, a 2006 national supporter, has created a flash animation video in partnership with Covering Kids & Families that promotes the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage for eligible families. Parents’ Action for Children plans to promote the video to their membership of more than 35,000 parents across the country who are working to improve the lives of children and families in their communities. View the video today! For more information, contact 202/338-7227 or coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com
Problems with the Medicare Drug Program and How to Fix Them: Video
This new 14-minute video produced by Families USA features trusted newsman Walter Cronkite discussing the problems within the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and offering solutions for the Part D program. The video offers an authoritative look at Medicare’s prescription coverage. First-hand experiences come from retirees from across the country, who offer an up-close look at the troubles the new drug benefit has generated, from the headaches of sorting through dozens of plans to the financial tolls the program will take on so-called beneficiaries. A dedicated community pharmacist shares his insights on the roll-out of Part D and knowledgeable consumer advocates analyze the politics at the core of the creation of the Medicare drug program. Watch the Video Online or Request a Copy
PERIODICALS AND BOOKS
No Place Like Home
While Americans may not be familiar with the term "medical home," they know when they don't have one-that is, a primary care practice that provides them with accessible, continuous, and coordinated care. A new column explains why medical homes are the foundation of patient-centered care, and why every American should have one. (December 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Covering Health Issues - A Sourcebook for Journalists
The newest edition of the Alliance for Health Reform's 300-page guide, "Covering Health Issues," is now available for downloading. The guide is useful for anyone interested in health policy issues. Each chapter contains key facts, an overview, expert sources with telephone numbers, story ideas, helpful websites and a discussion of current policy proposals.
New Journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action
The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health will publish the inaugural issue this fall of its new journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action (PCHP). Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, PCHP will address topics in the growing field of community-based participatory research.
Health Disparities: A Selected Bibliography
From the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
REPORTS AND STUDIES
New Listings
New Listings: Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
SCHIP Experience: Trends in Access to Medicaid and SCHIP Coverage
With states generally in better financial shape since the fiscal crisis earlier in the decade, many have expressed interest in improving access to their Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs. A new 50-state survey shows that one-third of states (17) increased access to health coverage in 2006, and no state cut income eligibility in Medicaid and SCHIP for the first time in four years. (1/9/07, Kaiser Foundation)
No Bargain: Medicare Drug Plans Deliver High Prices
For the top 20 drugs prescribed to seniors, the report examined prices charged by the VA compared to the prices charged by the five companies with the largest enrollment in the Medicare (Part D) drug program. Those companies, UnitedHealthcare/PacifiCare, Humana, Wellpoint, Member Health, and WellCare, enrolled almost two-thirds (65 percent) of the Medicare beneficiaries participating in Part D during 2006. Medicare drug plan prices for the top drugs prescribed to seniors are 58 percent higher than the same drugs provided to veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to a report released today. According to the report, the prices charged by plans sponsored by the five companies are 50-75 percent higher than the VA price for Celebrex; 51-82 percent higher for Lipitor (10 mg); 69-95 percent higher for Nexium; 205-261 percent higher for Fosamax; 435-522 percent higher for Protonix; and 1,066-1,229 percent higher for Zocor (20 mg). (1/9/07, Families USA)
Too Close To Turn Back: Covering America's Children
The report recommends that policymakers address several issues when reauthorizing state SCHIP programs, including providing adequate funding to cover more children, protecting and improving Medicaid, eliminating enrollment barriers and promoting quality initiatives. The report also calls on the 110th Congress to make reauthorizing state SCHIP programs a top priority. (12/12/06, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families)
Voices of Beneficiaries: Medicare Part D Insights and Observations One Year Later
This report describes the views and experiences of 35 Medicare beneficiaries under the new drug benefit in advance of the 2007 open enrollment period. The report finds that drug plan enrollees generally say that they are satisfied with their drug coverage and have not encountered major difficulties using their plan. At the same time, many of them don't fully understand how their plan works even after almost a year of experience with this new benefit. (December 2006, Kaiser Family Foundation).
U.S. Residents Across Political Spectrum Support Government Price Negotiations For Medicare Prescription Drugs
While there is debate in Washington about whether and how to do it, substantial majorities of Democrats (92%), Independents (85%), and Republicans (74%) support allowing the government to negotiate drug prices under Medicare (85% overall, including 65% strongly and 20% somewhat favoring it). There is also widespread support for permitting Americans to buy lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada (79%, including 55% strongly and 24% somewhat). Eight in 10 people believe drug price negotiation will make medications more affordable, while 31% believe it will result in less research and development by U.S. drug companies. When faced with a choice between the government trying to solve the health care cost problem by dealing directly with providers and insurers and limiting what they can charge versus giving consumers tax incentives to buy high-deductible coverage and encouraging them to shop for lower prices and better quality, most people (59%) choose direct government action over the more market-oriented solution (34%). That was true across the board for Democrats (66%), Independents (58%), and Republicans (52%). (12/8/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Seniors and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
The survey examines seniors' views and experiences with the Medicare prescription drug benefit. According to the survey, one in 20 seniors who are enrolled in a Medicare drug plan say they expect to switch plans for 2007. The survey also finds that 76% of seniors enrolled in a drug plan say that their experiences have been positive, though 73% of seniors overall say the drug benefit is "too complicated." The Kaiser Family Foundation also released a report describing 35 Medicare beneficiaries' experiences and understanding of the benefit. (12/19/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Medicare Should Take Leading Role in Reducing Health Disparities
The federal Medicare program should take a much more active role in reducing disparities in health care for racial and ethnic minorities, according to a new report released by an independent panel of the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). The panel finds that these disparities pose a pressing national problem. (12/15/06, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Profiles of Medicaid's High Cost Populations
This paper examines the role that Medicaid plays in addressing six populations (preterm birth babies, foster care children, individuals with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, individuals with mental illness, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and people with Alzheimer's disease) with serious health needs resulting in high costs. (12/19/06, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured)
Final Report and Recommendations: Medicaid Commission
Fundamental reform is needed in order to ensure the long-term fiscal sustainability of the Medicaid program. More than simply sustaining the program, the Commission believes that Medicaid can and must continue to provide quality care to promote the best possible health for all beneficiaries. Taken as a whole, the recommendations set forth in this report promote Medicaid's long-term fiscal sustainability, while also emphasizing quality of care. (12/29/06, Medicaid Commission)
New Listings: Health Insurance, Health Costs
The Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey: Assessing Congressional Priorities
Expanding health insurance coverage for the uninsured should be the top health care priority for the new Congress over the next five years, according to 88 percent of respondents to the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey. Other top priorities include moderating rising health care costs, reforming Medicare to ensure long-term solvency, and increasing the use of information technology. The opinion leaders' responses closely align with public views on health care reform, as well as the principles laid out by the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System. (December 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Kaiser/Hewitt Retiree Health Benefits Survey
A survey of 302 large private sector employers that offer retiree health coverage conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 58 percent of the companies raised premiums for Medicare-eligible retirees, and 24 percent raised cost-sharing for Medicare-eligible retirees. Other findings include: Out-of-Pocket costs for
retirees continue to rise for employer health coverage; and About one in 10 firms eliminate retiree health benefits for future retirees. (December 2006, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Health Care Spending in the United States and OECD Countries
Health spending is rising faster than incomes in most developed countries, which raises questions about how these countries will pay for future health care needs. The issue may be particularly acute in the United States, which not only spends much more per capita on health care than any other country, but which also has had one of the fastest growth rates in health spending among developed countries. Despite this higher level of spending, the United States does not achieve better outcomes on many important health measures. (January 2007, Kaiser Family Foundation)
New Listings: Health Equity Issues
Health Insurance Plans Make Strides in Addressing Gaps in Care Experienced by Minorities in U.S.
Americans receive health care services that are in sync with the latest scientific evidence only about half the time. Studies also find that racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. receive a lower quality of care than non-minorities and are at greater risk for certain diseases. (12/5/06, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Systems Struggling to Address Student Health
Lack of focus on mental and physical problems threatens achievement, especially in poorer schools. In urban school systems across the country, children who live in poverty suffer from higher rates of health problems - asthma, malnutrition, obesity and mental disorders -- than the more affluent, and the academic consequences are very real, according to researchers who have studied how health affects academic achievement. (12/5/06, Washington Post)
New Listings: Other Health Issues
Toward More Effective Use of Research in State PolicymakingThis report presents a four-stage framework to support effective use of research in health policymaking and improve communications between researchers and state policymakers and program administrators. The authors discuss practical lessons and communication strategies gleaned from interviews with researchers and policymakers across the country. Also featured is a case study of Massachusetts's groundbreaking health care reform legislation, designed to expand health insurance coverage to all state residents. (December 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Death Rate Falls but Asthma in Children at All-Time HighThe death rate for childhood asthma is declining in the United States, but not among black youngsters, who are six times as likely as white children to die from the disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. The overall death rate is declining even as the prevalence of childhood asthma cases for all races is at historically high levels in the United States, the study said. (12/13/06, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Florida Reports
Florida Senate Interim Project Report on Florida KidCare Organizational Streamlining and Administrative Simplification
The Florida KidCare program provides health care coverage to over 1.4 million children. KidCare is an "umbrella” program, the components of which include Medicaid for children, Healthy Kids, Medikids, and Children’s Medical Services Network. Linking these has resulted in a complex administrative structure, with different financial eligibility requirements, benefit designs, service delivery systems, cost sharing equirements, and multiple administrative entities. This administrative structure has created barriers to access, although many have been or are being addressed. This report recommends further incremental approaches for organizational streamlining and administrative simplification. A model for comprehensive reorganization is also provided for consideration. (October 2006, Florida Senate)
Medicaid Changes: What will they mean for Broward and Duval counties, and beyond?
This document is Briefing #1 by researchers at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute engaged in a two-year evaluation of the Medicaid reform pilot counties for both Florida counties. The evaluation is assessing how these changes affect Medicaid beneficiaries’ ability to access needed care as well as the impact on community health providers.(September 2006, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute)
National Survey of Children’s Health, 2003 Florida State Profile Children ages 0-17
State of Working Florida 2006
Research Insitute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP)'s annual Labor Day report reviews economic data to provide a comprehensive picture of workers and their families. Data on wages, employment, industries, and benefits show how workers are faring in Florida 's economy. Key 2006 findings include: almost 20% of Florida’s residents had no healthcare coverage in 2002-2005, worse than all but two of the nation’s states; median wage well below national norms; drop in family incomes; positive outcomes from new state minimum wage law.
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.
Grading State Systems for Adults with Serious Mental Illness
A National Alliance on Mental Illness report grades each state's public mental health system for adults with serious mental illness, and assigns the nation an overall grade of D. The report grades states on 39 criteria in the areas of infrastructure, information access, services and recovery.
Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIPS
Too Close to Turn Back: Covering America’s Children
The report calls on Congress to ensure that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has funding needed to cover more children, eliminate red tape barriers to child health coverage, and address quality and accountability of child health coverage. (12/12/06, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families)
Seeking Higher Value in Medicaid: A National Scan of State Purchasers
States are generally happy with and continue to pursue full-risk managed care, and...realize that they can do much more with their purchasing power than merely secure financial predictability...Increasing quality, efficiency, and accountability are all important goals. (Nov 2006, Center for Health Care Strategies)
Strengthening Medicare's Role in Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Disparities in health care for racial and ethnic minorities and low-income persons pose a pressing national problem. This report of a study panel convened by the national Academy of Social Insurance examines Medicare's role in moving towards a solution. The panel concludes that Medicare is obligated to take the lead in reducing disparities—both for its beneficiaries and throughout the health system—and makes 17 recommendations to those who set policy for and administer the Medicare program. (Oct 2006, national Academy of Social Insurance)
The Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans
This updated and revised report found that Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans in 2005 cost the federal government $5.2 billion, or 12.4%, more than comparable beneficiaries enrolled in the traditional fee-for-service program. (Nov 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Medicaid spending sees first decline
Medicaid spending declined by 1.4% in the first nine months of 2006 compared with the same period last year, marking the first decrease in spending since the program was created in 1965, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The historic reversal will free up billions of dollars in state budgets. Medicaid has been the fastest-growing expense for states over the past 10 years. (11/26/06, USA Today)
Medicaid's Long-Term Care Beneficiaries: An Analysis of Spending Patterns
This issue brief by the examines costs related to Medicaid beneficiaries who use long-term care and acute care services. 7% of Medicaid beneficiaries who use long-term care account for more than half of all Medicaid spending, with 75% of those costs being used for long-term care and 25% being used for acute care and other supportive services. (11/22/06, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured)
Medicare drug plan to cost $13B Less In 2006 than projected
The Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost $30 billion in 2006, a 30% decrease from a previous estimate of $43 billion, according to CMS. CMS said that the decrease resulted from: $7.5 billion in savings from lower-than-expected enrollment; $6.9 billion in savings from competition; and $3.7 billion in savings from lower-than-expected increases in prescription drug prices in the two years prior to the launch of the program. (11/28/06, AP)
Fewer Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Plans Cover Brand-Name Medications During 'Doughnut Hole' In 2007
Purchasing Medicare prescription drug plans that offer coverage during the so-called "doughnut hole" will be "more restricted and more expensive" for beneficiaries in 2007. Although more plans will offer coverage of generic drugs during the doughnut hole next year, the number of plans offering coverage of brand-name medications will decrease from 33 to 27. (11/29/06, LA Times)
Benefit Design and Formularies of Medicare Drug Plans: A Comparison of 2006 and 2007 Offerings
This profiles the 2007 Medicare stand-alone drug plans offered to the 43 million 2007 beneficiaries and highlights some of the changes in plans from 2006. It looks at premiums, covered drugs, copays, and other features that affect out-of-pocket costs and access. The changes identified in the report underscore the importance for Medicare beneficiaries in reviewing key features of drug plans before enrolling in a plan for 2007. This study compared the prescription drug plans offered in 2006-2007, finding: more plans were being offered with more drugs covered, but with higher premiums; generally lower copayments for generics and preferred brand-name drugs; 30 percent more plans offered nationwide in 2007; 483 plans that qualify for full premium subsidy for people eligible for Extra Help in 2007, up from 409; increased premiums; and more plans covering the doughnut hole but most with only generics. (11/14/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Status Report On Medicare Part D Enrollment In 2006: Analysis Of Plan-Specific Market Share And Coverage
A comprehensive look at the 2006 private Medicare drug plan enrollment as the enrollment period for 2007 begins. The article examines organization- and plan-level market share, as well as enrollment by type of plan, benefit design, and gap coverage. (11/21/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
State-level Medicare Part D Plan Characteristics, A 2007 Update
This fact sheet contains new state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options, including the number of stand-alone plans with gap coverage in the "doughnut hole," and the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries. (11/10/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Average Monthly Premiums Will Increase By 87% In 2007 For Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Providing 'Meaningful Coverage' In Doughnut Hole
Average monthly premiums in 2007 for Medicare prescription drug plans that offer "meaningful" coverage during the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap will increase by 87.4% to $103.20, compared with $55.08 in 2006. (11/1/06, Families USA)
Federal Budget/Health Care
Congress Punts on Children's Health Care in Favor of Tax Shelter for Wealthy As one of its final acts, Congress chose to attach to the tax extenders bill a provision making Health Savings Accounts more lucrative as tax shelters for wealthy individuals even as Congress refused to provide funds needed to ensure that up to 600,000 low-income children keep their health insurance through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 2007. It has been known all year that without additional SCHIP funding, 17 states would face SCHIP shortfalls in 2007. The Administration included a proposal in its budget to address these shortfalls. Various bills to resolve the problem were introduced in Congress. But when decision time came, Congressional leaders declined to act. Coverage for up to 600,000 low-income children will be at risk as a result. When it came to making HSAs more lucrative as tax shelters, by contrast, Congressional negotiators charted a different course. They took a special-interest HSA bill that had never been considered on the floor of either the Senate or House and attached it to the same bill to which they declined to attach the needed SCHIP resources. (12/7/06, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities) StatementRelated Fact SheetBackground Analysis on HSA ExpansionBackground Analysis on SCHIP Funding Shortfall
Health Insurance, Health Costs
National Survey on Health Opinions
New poll finds broad support among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans for drug price negotiation, reimportation, and prioritizing children for coverage of the uninsured. Views on stem cells are more mixed. Public sees health care prices as unreasonable and wants government to take steps to lower them. (12/8/06, Kaiser Family Foundation et al)
The Uninsured And The Affordability Of Health Insurance Coverage
The 2005 Current Population Survey (CPS) is used to estimate what share of uninsured Americans are eligible for coverage through Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), need financial assistance to purchase health insurance, and are likely able to afford insurance. Twenty-five percent are eligible for public coverage, 56 percent need assistance, and 20 percent can afford coverage. This varies across uninsured populations: 74 percent of children are eligible for public programs, and 57 percent and 69 percent of parents and childless adults, respectively, need assistance. A central conclusion is that a large percentage of uninsured adults need help purchasing health insurance. (11/30/06, Health Affairs online)
Employers Willing to Do More to Cover Workers
Despite the rapidly rising costs of health coverage, a new study based on national survey data finds that two-thirds of U.S. employers—including those who provide health benefits and those who do not—either strongly or somewhat agree that all employers should share in the cost of health insurance for employees, either by covering their own workers or by contributing to a fund to cover the uninsured.A majority of employers is also willing to undertake administrative changes designed to expand coverage—for example, reducing an eligible employee's withholding tax by the amount of any available health insurance tax credit. (Nov 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
(second annual) EBRI-Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey
Consumer-driven health plans are not catching on. This year's survey finds that enrollment in CDHPs and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) is virtually unchanged since 2005. Only 1 percent of the privately insured population ages 21 to 64 is currently enrolled in a CDHP. CDHPs have not been attracting significant numbers of previously uninsured people. Despite some policymakers' expectations that the lower premiums and tax benefits of CDHPs would substantially reduce the number of uninsured, adults in these plans are no more likely to have been uninsured prior to enrollment than are adults with more comprehensive coverage. (12/7/06, Commonwealth Fund)
Healthier and Wealthier: Decreasing Health Care Costs by Increasing Educational Attainment
This new Issue Brief argues that higher educational attainment improves a student’s future income, occupational status, and social prestige, all of which contributes to improved individual health. The brief cites several reasons why, including the fact that Americans with higher educational attainment have more
insurance coverage, individuals who lack health insurance receive less medical care and have poorer health outcomes, and lower education levels generally lead to occupations with greater health hazards. (Nov 2006, Alliance for Excellent Education)
Exploring the Public's Views on the Health Care System: A National Survey on the Issues and Options
Instead of assessing support for specific health reform initiatives, this study examines fundamental attitudes that shape views about the provision and financing of health insurance. It finds strong support for equity and expansion of coverage, with few differences across sociodemographic groups, but some support for holding individuals responsible for health-related behavior. Consumers want to retain choice of plans and coverage for routine expense yet not bear additional financial burden. "There was strong consensus that the current system is not working well. When asked whether or not they agreed with the statement that the current system has lots of problems and needs to be improved, 80 percent of respondents agreed, compared with only 20 percent who said that the employer-based system combined with current government programs is working well." (November 2006, Health Affairs)
Headed for a Tipping Point?
Average people on the street think the health care system is headed for disaster, and it appears they're right. Try this for fun: The next time a stranger asks you what you do for a living, say, "I'm a health care futurist. I write and speak about the future of health care." The single most common response is rather shocking. Most people say, "Does it have a future?" (November 2006, H&HN)
No Shelter from the Storm: America's Uninsured Children
In recent years, much attention has been paid to the growing number of Americans who lack health insurance. Unfortunately, less attention has been paid to a startling and often-overlooked fact: One out of every five uninsured Americans is a child. This report takes a closer look at uninsured children—who they are and what kinds of services they miss out on as a result of being uninsured. (9/28/06, Campaign for Children's Health Care)
The Coverage Gap: A State-by-State Report on Access to Care
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) – a national survey of preventive and health risk behaviors – the researchers analyzed health disparities between insured and uninsured adults. Using data from the US Census Bureau Current Population Survey from 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005, they also looked at the number of Americans age 50-64 that are without health care coverage.
Health Equity Issues
America's Health Rankings: A Call to Action for People and their Communities
The United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention?, have released this 2006 edition, to stimulate public conversation concerning health in our states, as well as provide information to facilitate citizen participation. Participation in all elements is encouraged: personal behaviors, community environment, clinical care and public and health policies. Florida's rank among states went from 40 in 2005 to 41 in 2006.
Improving Health & Reducing Disparities through Prevention: Challenges, Implications, and Opportunities
An innovative report calling for a broad and strategic response to reducing inequitable health outcomes by identifying and discussing key strategies that build on the successes of a variety of fields not previously applied or considered relevant to health disparities reduction. (December 2006, Prevention Institute)
Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
Focusing on Institute Of Medicine principles for designing a high-quality health care system, the author identifies areas where cultural competence could be used to reduce disparities and achieve high performance health care. (Oct 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Cultural Competency: Moving the Agenda Forward
At the fifth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations, held in Seattle from October 17–20, 2006, The Commonwealth Fund released a series of reports exploring the role of cultural competency in improving quality and outcomes for patients, reducing disparities, and helping patients become more active and engaged in their care. (Nov 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
A High-Performing System for Well-Child Care: A Vision for the Future
Standardization, while intended to ensure that families receive core services and key information, tends to encourage a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Many families are subjected to unnecessary visits, while children who are at serious risk for physical, developmental, or behavioral problems fail to get the services they need. The author is convinced that the U.S. system of well-child care provision is ripe for change. In the report, he and his coauthors present a model for effective, efficient well-child care, as well as a guide for future policy and research efforts. characterized by advanced access to services, team-based care, individualized developmental and behavioral screening, care coordination through a medical home, electronic health records, and tools for information and knowledge transfer. Some reforms are ready to be implemented, while others would require additional resources, new technology, and/or policy changes. (Oct 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Migrant Worker Health Study Completed Three Years Ago Still Unreleased
A federal study on the health of migrant farmworkers that was completed three years ago remains under review by HHS and is yet to be made public, McClatchy/Miami Herald reports. Congress in 2002 ordered a study of farmworkers to asses barriers to enrollment in Medicaid and state SCHIP programs; examine the lack of health care "portability" between states; and evaluate potential solutions, including interstate compacts, public-private partnerships and a national program to serve migrant workers. (11/27/06, Kaiser Network)
America’s Uninsured Children: Minorities at Greater Risk
Campaign for Children’s Health Care's new fact sheet and report finds that more than 60 percent of the uninsured children in the United States are racial or ethnic minorities.
Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health: Unfinished Business
This final report of an Institute of Medicine committee charged with assessing the NIH Strategic Plan to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities is now available. The report recommends ways to improve oversight and coordination of the Strategic Plan and to assure that needed research on health disparities is being carried out as effectively and expeditiously as possible. The recommendations are intended to help NIH achieve its minority health and health disparity Strategic Plan objectives. (Institute of Medicine)
The 2005 National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and 2005 National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) are now available on AHRQ's Web Site. The 2005 NHQR is a comprehensive national overview of quality of health care in the United States. The 2005 NHDR tracks disparities in both quality of and access to health care in the United States for both the general population and for congressionally designated priority populations.
Other Health Issues
Health, United States, 2006
This 30th report on the health status of the nation is submitted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and Congress of the United States in compliance with Section 308 of the Public Health Service Act. The 559-page report was compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics served in a review capacity. The Health, United States series presents national trends in health statistics. Each report includes an executive summary, highlights, a chartbook, trend tables, extensive appendixes, and an index. Contents include: Fertility, Natality, Life Expectancy and Mortality; Health Behaviors, Status, Risk Factors, Determinants and Measures; Health Care Access, Utilization, System Influences, Expenditures, Resources and Personnel; Health Insurance Coverage and Payors; Uninsured Population; Age, Race and Ethnicity and Poverty; Alcohol and Drug Use; Physical Activity and Limitations; Dental Care and Access; and a Special Section on Pain. (November 2006, HHS, CDC, NHCS)
The Oral Health of Children A Portrait of States and the Nation 2005
The Health Resources and Services Administration presents this chartbook highlighting the major findings of the National Survey of Children's Health on children's oral health. This survey, the first of its kind, presents national- and State-level information on the health and well-being of children and their use of health services, including oral health and dental care. The survey includes many positive findings about children's oral health.
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STATE HEALTH EVENTS AND NOTICES
January 12, 2007
NORTH FLORIDA
Developmental Disabilities Guardian Training
Jan. 19-20 Tallahassee
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council is sponsoring training workshops to empower families to become more knowledgeable about navigating the legal system. This is particularly important because there is a scarcity of attorneys with the necesary knowledge and experience. There is no fee for consumers and family members. Travel reimbursement is available. However, you must register using this form or online. For more information, call 305/243-6397, or email JSherman@med.miami.edu.
Florida Dept. of Health 1st Annual Clinical and Preventive Practice Management Summit
Jan 23-25 Jacksonville, Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel
Hosted by the Florida DOH Division of Family Health Services, this event will address Florida’s health care delivery system's new era of health reform embracing managed care concepts and preparing for Medicaid Reform. Annual Clinical and Preventive Practice Management Summit will explore the patient’s role as a health care ‘consumer’ when choosing a plan and in seeking appropriate and timely care as well our health safety net’s financial and operational viability issues related to Medicaid Reform. Discussion will also focus on methods and best practices for empowering patients towards making well-informed decisions that properly identify and fulfill their health needs, and towards establishing healthier lifestyles. Panels and posters will explore Medicaid patient empowerment and health literacy, and other access, costs and quality issues, which are major principles driving the reform effort.
Duval County Healthcare Town Hall Meeting
Jan 30 5:30pm-7:30pm Main Library, Downtown Jacksonville
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc., in conjunction with the Coalition for the Uninsured, Medicaid Reform Advocates Coalition and Florida CHAIN and Managed Access To Child Health, Inc. invite you to a Duval County Healthcare Town Hall Meeting. Our major community organizations are UNITED in seeking ANSWERS and SOLUTIONS to Medicaid Reform, Mental Health services, and Medicare Part D. Be there to share your experiences, ask your questions, and receive the information you need! Contact: 904/394-0042.
12th Annual Children's Week
March 25-April 1 Tallahassee
This statewide event brings thousands of parents, children, professionals, community leaders and concerned citizens together to share valuable knowledge and information about children's issues across the state and in our Tallahassee. This year, Children's Week has teamed up with the Association of Early Learning Coalitions, the Florida Dept of Health's Step Up Florida program and Prevent Child Abuse Florida's Winds of Change to host dozens of events and activities during February and March to promote the health, safety and well-being of children and families in Florida. Communities are inviting elected officials and families to come together and participate in local forums, receptions, events, arts & crafts fairs, reading round-ups, children's hand art and other fun, informative and educational events and activities designed to highlight the needs of Florida's children and families. For a full listing of events before and during Children's Week, click here. Contact Jason@childrensweek.org
CENTRAL FLORIDA
Jan 24-25 Orlando, Orange County Convention Center
"The Healthcare (R)evolution: Health & Productivity: Digging Into the Real Cost." Over 500 Attendees representing Employers, Physicians, Insurers, Hospitals, Coalitions, Government, Pharmaceutical companies, HR/Benefit Professionals, Consultants and anyone interested in health care quality improvement.Early registration is $259. For further information call 407/425-9500.
Jan 24-25 Orlando, Orange County Convention Center
"The Healthcare (R)evolution: Health & Productivity: Digging Into the Real Cost." Over 500 Attendees representing Employers, Physicians, Insurers, Hospitals, Coalitions, Government, Pharmaceutical companies, HR/Benefit Professionals, Consultants and anyone interested in health care quality improvement.Early registration is $259. For further information call 407/425-9500.
2007 AcademyHealth Annual Research MeetingJune 3-5 Orlando
Presentation of cutting-edge health services research is the cornerstone of this meeting, offering opportunities for researchers to share important findings with policymakers and providers who can move the research into action. This year's ARM is organized around 21 themes, including Gender & Health.
WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
The Value of Biologic Medications
Jan 18 10:00 am-2:00 pm Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk, 200 N Ashley Dr
In the last decade the deciphering of the human genome has opened up a whole new world of drug discovery. Most of these new specialty pharmaceuticals are biologics. New biologics now offer treatments and cures where none existed previously. The challenge for advocates and for policy makers alike is to ensure that the value and benefits of these new specialty pharmaceuticals are understood and that patients have access so that they can benefit from them. Participants will learn the value of biologic medications, what they are and the profound impact they have for individuals with chronic illness; and tools advocates can use to promote education about the need for access to effective treatments. Contact 916/444-1985 or info@tmjsociety.org.
16th Annual National Health Benefits Conference & Expo
Jan 25-26 Tampa Waterfront Convention Center
"The Biggest Challenge Remains: Addressing the Most Intractable Cost Problem Facing American Employers." Registration on a sliding scale from $295 for the first to free for the fourth person from an organization, with additional discounts available in special cases.
11th Annual Medicaid/Medicare Conference Set
March 13-15 Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
This yearly event offers vital information on nuance and change in Medicaid/Medicare regulations to stay current with the issues that surround Medicaid and Medicare. Reimbursement, risk management, valuation, acquisition and many other concerns facing providers, insurers and lenders will be reviewed.
Joining FORCEs Against Cancer
May 18-19 Tampa
This is the only national conference for individuals and families affected by BRCA or hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Make friends, get support, network, and listen to the top experts speak about break-throughs regarding hereditary cancer. The conference will have sessions of interest to anyone concerned about hereditary cancer: cancer survivors, high-risk individuals, those with a BRCA mutation or family history of cancer, and health care providers who treat high-risk patients. Space is limited. Register before March 2 for a $30 discount. Continuing education credit for nurses and genetic counselors.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Events
Vision = Movement = Change
Multiple times Jan 16, 17, 18 at locations throughout Miami
Two years ago, the Movement Vision Project of the Center for Community Change began interviewing social change leaders across the U.S. about their positive, big picture, long-term vision for the future. They interviewed over 165 leaders, including heads of national organizations as well as local leaders in three states - Colorado, Kentucky and Florida. Through this, they have developed a provocative proposal for our community of what our shared vision is and what we need to do differently to make that vision a reality. The following discussions will present these ideas to a mix of social change activists, and get feedback and ideas for movement building and long-term vision. Food will be served at each briefing (including lunch at Briefing #3 and a light dinner at Briefing #4). RSVP to skohn@communitychange.org or 718-768-4767, noting which session you will attend.
Briefing 1: Jan 16 10:00am-12:00noon, Unite For Dignity 1525 NW 167th St, Miami
Briefing 2: Jan 16 2:00-4:00pm, South Florida Jobs With Justice 1671 NW 17th Ave, Miami
Briefing 3: Jan 17 12:00noon-2:00pm, Miami Women's Fund 2650 SW 27th Ave, Miami
Briefing 4: Jan 17 5:00-7:00pm, Power U for Social Change 1633 NW 3rd Ave, Miami
Briefing 5: Jan 18 10:00am-12:00noon, HSC of Dade County 260 NE 17th Terr, Miami
Briefing 6: Jan 18 2:00-4:00pm, HSC of Dade County 260 NE 17th Terr, Miami
Notices
Not-For-Profit Task Force of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce announces Sixth Annual NOVO Awards for not-for-profit innovative excellence.
Nominations deadline: 4:00 pm Jan 16
The NOVO Awards will be given to a not-for-profit organization in recognition of a program that has made a difference in the lives of the people it serves. Attached please find a copy of the application. Two awards will be given; one for non-profits with an operating budget of less than $2 million and one for non-profits with an operating budget over $2 million. The top three finalists from each category will be recognized at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors and Trustees luncheon on Wednesday, March 7, 2007. $1,000 will be presented to the winner in each category. To be considered, click here to download the award application, fill out and submit. For further info,contact Ingris at 305/577-5468.
Submit Nominations for HSC's Truth and Hope Awards
Deadline: Jan. 18
Winners Announced: March 1
In 2000, Human Services Coalition of Dade County established the Truth and Hope Awards to recognize people who share the organization's vision of a just society that treats people with respect and dignity, fairly and as equals, and provides opportunity for continual advancement. They seek people from every corner of the community who can recognize and talk about the often painful truth of our current situation, but still provide a sense of hope that the vision is achievable; individuals or organizations that we can celebrate for their efforts to promote social and economic justice (including addressing unmet needs) through any of the following strategies: Civic engagement coalition building, capacity building and innovation. Nominations are sought in four categories: Truth Award-for an individual or organization that has demonstrated a commitment to truth and honesty in public life; Hope Award- for an individual or organization that has created a sense of hope in the community; Lifetime Achievement Award- for an individual or organization that has spent a lifetime serving others and working for the betterment of the community; Philanthropy and Action Award-for an individual or organization that invests in the community through actions or resources. Click here for further award and submission details.
Health Care Access through Action Project
If you care about improving our Health Care System, the Human Services Coalition of Miami-Dade invites you to take part in a plan to improve health care access. There are a number of ways to be involved: take a health access survey; join a Community Action/Learning Group to develop Action plan drafts to reduce and eliminate barriers to health care to be presented at the 2nd Access through Action Summit in March; or become an Action Group facilitator with a Jan. 9 training. This project is supported by Children’s Trust, Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc., Robert Stemple School of Medicine, Community Voices and South Florida Health Foundation. For info and how to get involved, contact parmerh@hscdade.org or ashal@hscdade.org.
NATIONAL EVENTS AND NOTICES
January 12, 2007
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Health Equity and Environmental Public Health - From Local to Global
Call for Sharing Session Proposals deadline: Jan. 19
July 11-13 Columbus, OH
The NACCHO Annual 2007 Conference will be the year's largest gathering of local public health officials in the United States. This conference will provide a vital and central venue for local health officials and their public health partners to examine strategies, share ideas, and plan actions designed to address issues of health inequity and environmental public health from local to global perspectives.
Families USA Conference Health Action 2007
Jan 24 Lobby Day
Jan 25-27 Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C.
This will be a gathering of creative, hard-working advocates determined to plow ahead on expanded coverage until every one of us has affordable, high quality health care. Opening Speakers: Sen. Barack Obama and Uwe Reinhardt, Princeton economist. Closing Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, National Council of Churches. Register on or before December 18, 2006 to take advantage of an early-bird registration fee of $315. After that date, registration is $365. This fee includes three lunches, continental breakfasts, breaks, a Capitol Steps performance, dessert party, and all program materials. Lobby Day on Jan. 24 will be a day of strategizing and encouraging the new Congress to take positive action on health care. For more information please call 202-628-3030. To request scholarship assistance, contact rwise@familiesusa.org.
For the Common Good: What Role for Social Insurance?
Feb 1-2 Washington, DC
Social insurance - Social Security and Medicare - pools risk broadly to ensure income and health security for older Americans. Yet, younger families face growing risks due to widely fluctuating incomes, rising health costs, and declining coverage. What mix of policies will strengthen economic security for all Americans, and how can we finance them in growth-enhancing ways? These issues are addressed during this National Academy of Social Insurance conference.
Race and Class Inequalities in Health
Abstract submission deadline: Feb 2
June 19-22 Boston
Conceptual and data-based papers are requested for presentation at the annual Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) meeting in 2007. There will be a contributed paper session on Race and Class Inequalities in Health and those working in this area are encouraged to submit abstracts of their work. Accepted abstracts will be distributed at the June meeting and will also be published in a Supplement issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Community Benefit 101: the Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit
Feb. 2007 Baltimore
April 2007 San Francisco
Catholic Health Association, leader in the community benefit field for 20 years, is offering a seminar that covers the basics of community benefit in not-for-profit health care. This event presents a valuable introduction for persons new to the topic and a useful review for those who are already doing the work of community benefit planning an reporting.
Institute for Public Health & Faith Collaborations
Application deadline: Feb 26
April 15-19 Memphis, TN
The Fifth National Institute for Public Health and Faith Collaborations is holding this training event for faith and health leaders. Applications are being accepted for 8 TEAMS of four to five persons.
Spring Training for Health Champions
March 7-9 New Orleans
Topic tracks of this annual event include: access to care; chronic disease prevention and management; community benefit excellence; and community health assessments. The Maximizing Access to Care track will discuss and debate approaches to making health care more accessible during sessions, such as Consumer Driven Health Care - Myth or Reality?, Ensuring Care for Low-Income Residents: Coverage and Safety Net Models and Winning Approaches for Increasing Access to Care.
Facing Race
March 22-24 New York City
This conference will bring together key policy advocates, academics, researchers, organizers and activists interested in exploring innovative strategies and successful models for changing public policy to produce more racial equity. The persistence of deep racial disparities in an array of areas--such as education, employment, health care and housing--points to the need for more strategies and new policies to address systemic inequities. This conference hopes to unite the movement by building bridges across issues and communities to amplify the concerns of communities of color in the intellectual, policy and popular debates that lie ahead.
Mobilizing Partnerships for Social Change
April 11-14 Toronto
This is the 10th Anniversary Conference of Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. CCPH promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions.
5th Annual Integrative Medicine for Healthcare Organizations Conference
April 12-14 San Diego
Health Forum and the American Hospital Association invite you to this two-and-a-half day program, customized to provide you and your team with top-notch educational sessions, in-depth case studies, skill building workshops, onsite visits to successful integrative medicine centers, a cutting-edge poster and exhibit forum and ample time for networking. Information on the educational program will be available in late fall 2006.
Bridging the Health Care Divide: Research and Programs to Eliminate Cancer Disparities
April 18-20 New Orleans
This conference of the American Cancer Society seeks to bring together researchers, community groups, physicians, nurses, social workers, public health leaders, lay persons, advocates, and policy makers to describe successful, sustainable models to eliminate cancer disparities.
Community Benefit 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit
April 24 San Francisco
For today's tax-exempt health care organizations, planning and reporting community benefit are critically important functions. Catholic Health Association, the leader in the community benefit field for 20 years, is offering a seminar that covers the basics of community benefit in not-for-profit health care, a valuable introduction for persons new to the topic and a useful review for those who are already doing the work of community benefit planning and reporting. Attend with your org's community benefit team and plan an integrated, practical approach to community benefit programming that your group can initiate on your first day back in the office.
Advancing Science-Based Prevention: Creating Real World Solutions
May 30 - June 1 Washington, D.C.
All participants are encouraged to submit abstracts for individual paper and poster presentations, organized paper symposium, poster forums, roundtable discussions/scientific dialogues and technology demonstrations for the Society for Prevention Research 15th Annual Meeting.
2007 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting
June 3-5 Orlando
Presentation of cutting-edge health services research is the cornerstone of this meeting, offering opportunities for researchers to share important findings with policymakers and providers who can move the research into action. This year's ARM is organized around 21 themes, including Gender & Health.
The Changing Face of Health Education and Health Promotion
June 7-9 Seattle
This national health education and health promotion conference is cosponsored by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Proposals are encouraged for concurrent sessions, pre or post-conference workshops, or poster presentations at the 2007 National Health Education Conference & SOPHE's 2007 Midyear Scientific Conference.
2007 CSTE Annual Conference: Eliminating Health Disparities: Data to Action
June 24-28 Atlantic City, NJ
Abstract proposals are being sought by the Program Planning Committee for the 2007 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Annual Conference.
Global Primary Health Care Strategies
July 21 - Aug 11
The Dept of Health Policy and Management of the Univ. of South Florida College of Public Health, with Jamaican Southern Regional Health Authority offers this graduate field course in Treasure Beach Jamaica. The course will cover strategies for providing access to health care services for disadvantaged rural populations as a part of its focus. The 3 credit course will be coupled with an hour of field practicum credit for a total of 4 semester hours of credit. Mornings will be spent in the field in the Black River Health District on projects that will feed into afternoon class sessions. The 4 credit program, including tuition, lodging, field travel, course materials, pickup and return to Montego Bay airport and 12 dinners will cost $3500 for both Florida and out of state participants. Airfare is extra.
AUDIO AND WEB EVENTS
ACHI Audio Conference
Jan.18 2:00 pm ET
Primary Care Access Network: Health Care for the Underinsured
Federal Budget Advocacy Made Simple
Sign up by clicking on the date most convenient for you (please only sign up for one date):
Jan 24 2:30 pm-4:00 pm EST
Feb 1 12:30 pm-2:00 pm EST
The President's budget will be out on February 5. Will you be ready? Sign up for an online Coalition for Human Needs training session to learn: What's at stake for human needs in the coming year's budget decisions, including the basics: how the budget process works, when decisions are made, and who makes them; and practical tools to help you make the case for the right budget priorities. Contact mdonahue@chn.org or 202/223-2532 x27.
ACHI Audio Conference
Feb. 15 2:00 pm ET
Maximizing Community Benefit's Impact on Community Health
NOTICES
Nominations for the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Annual AwardNomination deadline: Feb 16The award recognizes exemplary partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions that others can aspire to. We welcome nominations from any country or nation. The award will be presented at CCPH's 10th anniversary conference, April 11-14, 2007, in Toronto.
JAMA Theme Issue: Interventions to Improve Health among the Poor
Call for Papers Manuscripts Deadline: May 1
Poverty is an inveterate consequence and cause of ill health. Without financial resources, people cannot pay for basic human needs: food, water, sanitation, housing, and health care services. To help disseminate research into interventions that specifically address the needs of the poor, JAMA will publish a theme issue on poverty and human development in October 2007. JAMA will consider manuscripts that report original research of interventions targeted to address poverty, hunger, access to care, and prevention of disease that are based on careful consideration and analysis of local context, evidence, and environments and that are directly targeted to serve the poor.
CAMPAIGNS AND INITIATIVES
Join Mental Health America's New Advocacy Network
Building on nearly a century of advocacy, Mental Health America (formerly National Mental Health Association) is spreading the message that mental health is fundamental to the health and well-being of every person and the nation as a whole. Mental Health America has launched its Advocacy Network to create a community of concerned citizen advocates. This site will be the gathering place for individuals who want to know more about mental health and wellness, and understand the issues confronting our nation and communities. Most important, it will be an environment where citizens take action. Join thousands of other Americans in protecting the rights of individuals with mental illnesses and promoting access to care for all who need help. Sign a petition calling on Congress to embrace a Vision for Change and make mental health a priority in 2007 and beyond.
Get Ready for Cover the Uninsured Week 2007!
April 23-29
Mark your calendars and plan how you and your community can help get America covered. With the help of supporters like you, Cover the Uninsured Week 2006 was a tremendous success, with: more than 4,700 events; 60,000 emails sent to the U.S. Congress; former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter once again served as Honorary Co-Chairs, and 10 former Surgeons General and Health and Human Services secretaries signed an open letter to the American people; more than 200 national organizations and more than 3,500 local organizations participated. Please visit www.CoverTheUninsured.org to download guides to get started planning events such as press conferences, health and enrollment fairs, and interfaith breakfasts. Additional information will be posted as plans for 2007 develop.
January
Cervical Health Awareness Month: Jan
National Cervical Cancer Coalition
(818) 909-3849 (818) 780-8199 Fax
info@nccc-online.org www.nccc-online.org/awareness.php
National Birth Defects Prevention Month: Jan
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
(888) MODIMES (663-4637)
askus@marchofdimes.com www.marchofdimes.com
National Blood Donor Month: Jan
AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks)
(301) 215-6526 (301) 907-6895 Fax
publicrelations@aabb.org www.aabb.org
National Glaucoma Awareness Month: Jan
Prevent Blindness America
(800) 331-2020 (847) 843-8458 Fax
info@preventblindness.org www.preventblindness.org
February
AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month: Feb
Prevent Blindness America
(800) 331-2020 (847) 843-8458 Fax
info@preventblindness.org www.preventblindness.org
American Heart Month: Feb
American Heart Association
(800) 242-8721
inquire@americanheart.org www.americanheart.org
National Children’s Dental Health Month: Feb
American Dental Association
(312) 440-2500
publicinfo@ada.org www.ada.org/goto/ncdhm
National Wise Health Consumer Month: Feb
American Institute for Preventive Medicine
(248) 539-1800 x222
sjackson@healthylife.com www.healthylife.com
Give Kids A Smile Day: Feb 2
American Dental Association
(312) 440-2500
publicinfo@ada.org www.ada.org/goto/gkas
National Wear Red Day: Feb 2
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Health Info. Center
(301) 592-8573 (240) 629-3255 TTY (301) 592-8563 Fax
nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth
National Women's Heart Day: Feb 16
Sister to Sister: Everyone Has A Heart Foundation, Inc.
(301) 718-8033 (301) 718-8620 Fax
info@sistertosister.org www.womansheartday.org
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Feb 25-Mar 3
National Eating Disorders Association
(800) 931-2239 Information and Referral Helpline
(206) 382-3587 (206) 829-8501 Fax
info@nationaleatingdisorders.org www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
March
National Brain Injury Awareness Month: March
Brain Injury Association of America
(703) 761-0750 (703) 761-0755 Fax
publicrelations@biausa.org www.biausa.org
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: March
Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation
(800) 227-2732 (877) 35-COLON (352-6566)
(703) 886-4413 Fax
cindy.iverson@preventcancer.org www.preventcancer.org/colorectal
National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month: March
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
(800) 225-6495 (954) 938-8708 Fax
annette@msfocus.org www.msfocus.org
National Nutrition Month®: March
American Dietetic Association
(800) 877-1600 x4771 (312) 899-4790 Fax
nnm@eatright.org www.eatright.org
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week: Mar 5-11
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
(800) 344-4867 (212) 986-3240
MSAwarenessweek@nmss.org www.nationalmssociety.org
Brain Awareness Week: Mar 12-18
Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives
(212) 223-4040 (212) 593-7623 Fax
bawinfo@dana.org www.dana.org/brainweek
American Diabetes Alert Day: Mar 28
American Diabetes Association
(800) DIABETES askada@diabetes.org
www.diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/americandiabetesalert.jsp
April
Foot Health Awareness Month: April
American Podiatric Medical Association
(301) 581-9227 www.apma.org
National Child Abuse Prevention Month: April
Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families
(800) 394-3366 info@childwelfare.gov www.childwelfare.gov/preventing
National Public Health Week: April 2-8
American Public Health Association
(202) 777-APHA (2742) (202) 777-2500 TTY
nphw@apha.org www.apha.org/nphw
World Health Day: April 7
WHO Regional Office
(202) 974-3000 www.who.int/world-health-day/
National Infant Immunization Week: April 21-28
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(800) CDC-INFO (232-4636) English/Spanish
nipinfo@cdc.gov www.cdc.gov/nip/events/niiw/
Cover the Uninsured Week: April 23-29
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
(202) 572-2928 info@covertheuninsured.org www.covertheuninsured.org
2007 WalkAmerica: April 27-29
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
(888) MODIMES (663-4637) (800) 525-WALK (9255)
walkamerica@modimes.org www.walkamerica.org
May
American Stroke Month: May
American Heart Association
(800) 242-8721 inquire@americanheart.org www.americanheart.org
Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month: May
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
(800) 7-ASTHMA info@aafa.org www.aafa.org
Hepatitis Awareness Month: May
Hepatitis Foundation International
(800) 891-0707 hfi@comcast.net www.hepfi.org
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month: May
American Academy of Dermatology
(888) 462-DERM (3376)
mediarelations@aad.org www.aad.org
Mental Health Month: May
National Mental Health Association
(800) 969-6642 www.nmha.org
National High Blood Pressure Education Month: May
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Health Information Center
(301) 592-8573 (240) 629-3255 TTY
nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhbpep_kit/
National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month: May
National Osteoporosis Foundation
(202) 223-2226
communications@nof.org www.nof.org
Melanoma Monday: May 1
American Academy of Dermatology
(888) 462-DERM (3376)
mediarelations@aad.org www.aad.org
High Blood Pressure Sunday: May 6
International Society on Hypertension in Blacks
(404) 880-0343 ishib@ishib.org www.ishib.org
National Alcohol- and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Week: May 13-19
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
(800) NCA-CALL (622-2255)
national@ncadd.org www.ncadd.org
National Women's Health Week: May 13-19
Office on Women's Health
U.S. Department of HHS
(202) 690-7651
sharon.ricks@hhs.gov www.womenshealth.gov/whw
National Women's Check-up Day: May 14
Office on Women's Health
U.S. Department of HHS
(202) 690-7651
sharon.ricks@hhs.gov www.womenshealth.gov
World No Tobacco Day: May 31
WHO Regional Office
(202) 974-3890 http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/en/
June
National Headache Awareness Week: June 3-9
National Headache Foundation
(888) NHF-5552
info@headaches.org www.headaches.org
Sun Safety Week: June 3-9
Sun Safety Alliance
(703) 837-4202 pschneider@sunsafetyalliance.org
www.sunsafetyalliance.org
National Cancer Survivors Day: June 3
National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation
(615) 794-3006 info@ncsdf.org www.ncsdf.org
National Men's Health Week: June 11-17
Men’s Health Network
(888) MEN-2-MEN (636-2636) Men's Healthline
info@menshealthweek.org www.menshealthweek.org
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