February 28, 2007
 
 
Call To Action/CHAIN Days: Join us in Tallahassee on March 21st-23rd!

Florida CHAIN and the Human Services Coalition will make their annual bus trip to the state capitol from March 21st-23rd to advocate for improved access to and funding for health care. Participants will be trained on priority issues such as Medicaid and KidCare and will learn how to frame messages so legislators listen, learn and act on the behalf of consumers. Participants from accross the state are welcome to join!
 
Scholarship requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. ASL sign language interpreters, captioning, and other communication formats will be provided at no cost with 10 days advance notice for the training and one month notice for the trip.  Click here for details or to register. 
 
Florida Medicaid Reform Appears Preparing for Expansion
 
The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is recruiting provider service networks in 28 counties, raising concerns that the agency may be laying the groundwork to expand its Medicaid Reform project. 
 
The agency is seeking applications from Provider Service Networks (PSN's) to set up in two regions - Hillsborough County, including the surrounding counties of Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee and Manatee; and Palm Beach County, including the surrounding counties of Martin, Glades and Hendry.
 
Beginning in May, AHCA plans to accept PSN applications for three more clusters:
  • Collier County (Naples) and the surrounding counties of Lee, Hendry and Monroe;
  • Alachua County (Gainesville) and the surrounding counties of Levy, Gilchrist, Columbia, Putnam, Union, Bradford and Marion;
  • Orange County (Orlando) and the surrounding counties of Polk, Lake, Seminole, Osceola and Brevard.
A PSN is made up of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers that have formed their own organization to treat patients. A PSN differs from a health maintenance organization (HMO), which is run by insurance companies. 
 
AHCA officials say their recruitment of PSN's in the Hillsborough and Palm Beach regions has nothing to do with its Medicaid Reform project underway in Broward County and a four-county region around Jacksonville. For example, Medicaid Reform health plans are required to provide transportation and behavioral health services while these new PSN's are not.
 
Certainly, AHCA has the authority under state law to set up provider service networks in an effort to provide more efficient health care to consumers.
 
But health care advocacy groups are concerned that by setting up PSN's in these particular areas –which already have HMO's - the agency is laying the ground work for expanding Medicaid reform before the Legislature has evaluated its success.
 
Evaluations by the University of Florida and OPPAGA won’t be finished until June 2008.
 
This is troubling, given the lack of evidence that Medicaid Reform is working. For a couple among many examples of severe consumer consequences due to lack of safeguards in the current Medicaid Reform regions, click here. 
 
Legislative approval needed?
 
In 2005, AHCA received federal approval to move forward with former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Medicaid Reform plan, which requires consumers to enroll in managed care plans. Their premiums are paid by state Medicaid. The federal government gave AHCA its approval to roll out the plan statewide over five years.
 
But Florida lawmakers didn’t want to move as quickly and instead passed a law limiting the experiment to Broward, Duval and its three surrounding counties of Baker, Clay and Nassau. The law also states that “statewide phase-in to additional counties shall be contingent upon review and approval by the Legislature.”
 
AHCA officials, however, say they do not need approval to add the new Medicaid PSNs to the 28 additional counties because they are not legislatively approved Medicaid Reform counties.
 
However, the selected PSNs will be required to meet with AHCA officials “to coordinate activities and develop cohesive systems strategies across vendors and agencies that actively participate in the Medicaid Reform initiative,’’ according to the proposed contract.
 
Another Medicaid Reform effort
 
AHCA’s pursuit of providers looks similar to agency efforts to push forward with another managed care initiative called Florida Senior Care.
 
The pilot project, initially outlined in the same 2005 legislation that created the Medicaid Reform experiment, would provide home- and community-based care to some 26,000 Medicaid seniors. It would initially be limited to three counties surrounding Pensacola and another four-county region including Melbourne and Orlando.
 
Like Medicaid Reform, the federal government has approved Florida Senior Care. But the state Legislature and some policymakers have not embraced it. Some legislators have expressed concern about this new approach to managing long-term care for seniors.
 
Even so, Medicaid Deputy Secretary Tom Arnold told a Senate committee three weeks ago that AHCA is recruiting providers now, in anticipation of legislative approval.
  
Legislators Push for Consumer-Oriented Medical Care Advisory Committee 
 
Hats off to Sen. Frederica Wilson and Rep. Joyce Cusack for filing legislation that would create a Medicaid consumer-oriented Medical Care Advisory Committee.
 
The legislation calls for the secretary of Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to appoint the committee which would advise the agency on policies affecting the state’s Medicaid program.
 
All states are required by federal law to have a Medical Care Advisory Committee, but officials under former AHCA Secretary Alan Levine chose not to convene it – even as they developed monumental changes to the Florida Medicaid program.
 
Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed Secretary Andrew Agwonobi to lead the agency and we hope that he will voluntary activate the federally mandated committee. If he doesn’t, the legislation would order him to do so.
 
According to the legislation filed by Sen. Wilson (SB 1438) and by Rep. Cusack (HB 1087), the committee would have authority to:
  • review and comment on proposed amendments to the Medicaid state plan;
  • review and comment on proposed new Medicaid initiatives pertaining to health care benefits and beneficiary eligibility, including Medicaid waiver proposals and programs;
  • participate in the development of policies and standards;
  • provide advice about the content and dissemination of program materials;
  • provide advice about gaps in services or barriers to the use of services.
These activities would provide a consumer voice that is desperately needed as policymakers make sweeping changes to Florida Medicaid. 
 
For example, the state’s Medicaid Reform project, which requires consumers to join private health plans or provider service networks, is expanding from two to five counties later this year. 
 
Meanwhile, AHCA officials appear to be setting the stage to expand the project to half of the state by inviting provider service networks to set up shop in 28 counties over the next few months. There has been little to no public input on this initiative.
 
AHCA continues to push its Senior Care managed care plan in two regions of the state, despite outcry from advocates and some providers. The federal government has approved the program but the Legislature has not.
 
The Medical Care Advisory Committee would have between 15 to 25 members, and at least 51 percent of the membership would be current or former Medicaid consumers, their parents or guardians, and Medicaid advocates.
 
Roughly one in every 8 individuals in Florida is a Medicaid recipient, and half of them are children.
 
 Duval County Medical Society Hosts "Florida Medicaid Reform: Interim Report"
 
The Duval County Medical Society hosted a Florida Medicaid Reform: Interim Report on Friday, February 23 at UF Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.  Lawmakers, doctors, medical providers, health care advocates and HMO representatives were in attendance.
 
Representative Aaron Bean, Chair of the Florida House Healthcare Council, and Tom Arnold, Deputy Secretary of the Medicaid program for the Agency for Healthcare Administration, had praise for the Reform project.
 
The highlight of the forum was the presentation given by Joan Alker and Dr. Jack Hoadley of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University.  The Jessie Ball DuPont Foundation independently commissioned their research project on Florida Medicaid Reform.  Ms. Alker presented that although Florida’s budget crisis due to Medicaid’s rising costs was the impetus for Medicaid Reform, budget pressures have eased and due to the Post Deficit Reduction Act of 2006 many states are now opting for DRA changes from the Federal Government rather than applying for waivers (which is how the Florida Medicaid Reform process began).  They also discussed some problematic areas of the Reform project.
 
After the presentations, the presenters and Dr. Arthur Palamara of the Broward County Medical Association participated in a panel discussion.  However, the panel was only able to address a few of the many questions presented.  Read more  
 
Urge Legislators and Policymakers To Keep Up Bipartisan Effort to Fix KidCare
 
Although the 2007 legislative session doesn’t start until next week, several state legislators and policymakers are already showing bipartisan support for bills that would fix KidCare, Florida’s health insurance program for kids.
 
In a rare but welcome move last week, House members from both parties held a press conference and announced an initiative to consolidate KidCare. The health insurance plan is made up of four components run by separate state entities, often making it difficult for parents to enroll their children.
 
Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democrat, have also publicly stated a genuine interest to find solutions for KidCare.
 
KidCare – which is funded by a mix of state and federal Medicaid dollars -- has become increasingly more complex and confusing. In recent years, declining enrollment numbers and program barriers have caused problems for program retention rates causing thousands of children to lose health care coverage.
 
This year, Congress will re-examine the way it divides money under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. Congress will look at which states have spent money and which need additional dollars, and shift the money accordingly. If Florida does not show a good faith effort to resolve the KidCare enrollment and program issues, the state will most likely lose out in the new proposed federal funding allocations for SCHIP.
 
This would be a tragic legacy for Florida, which at one time, ranked among the top three states to pioneer a subsidized child health insurance program. It now ranks third among states in lowest enrollment. Today, 700,000 children remain uninsured.
 
Fortunately, legislators are considering legislation to resolve the access and streamline the current process. 
 
Appreciation goes to key Legislators from both sides of the aisle and state leadership who have committed to fix KidCare in preparation for the federal reauthorization of SCHIP. 
 
URGENT! YOUR Help is Needed to Fix KidCare
 
TAKE ACTION!  Click here to send emails to key legislators

Members of the Florida House and Senate are drafting bills to make needed changes to KidCare, the state’s critical health insurance program for low-income children. This is a very complex undertaking, so they need to hear your suggestions on how to make these repairs before the 2007 Florida Legislature convenes on March 6.
 
Take a few seconds NOW to send emails to your own and other key legislators. Thank them, as well as Gov. Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, for making comprehensive improvements to Florida KidCare a priority this year.
 
This year’s Legislature MUST make it easier for families to learn about, enroll, and retain their children in KidCare. The state must restore funding for community outreach and education - while providing enough money to draw down available federal funding for increased enrollment to insure more of Florida’s children. Read more
 
Medicaid for More Uninsured Pregnant Women is a Critical Investment
 
Access to prenatal care—critical to the health of Florida’s mothers and babies—is threatened by an increase in the number of uninsured, working families. The state currently provides expanded Medicaid coverage for uninsured pregnant women with incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level ($38,200 for a family of four). Income eligibility, however, has not changed in more than a decade.
 
Nearly a third of all states provide Medicaid coverage for uninsured pregnant women up to 200% or more of the federal poverty level. Five states have expanded eligibility for pregnant women under the SCHIP program that provides insurance coverage for children, enabling them to leverage additional federal resources. A similar expansion in Florida would ensure coverage for more than 3,000 additional pregnant women, providing needed support to uninsured, working families for whom pregnancy-related health care is a significant burden.
 
According to the Florida PRAMS survey, 40% of women delivering between 2000-03 report being uninsured prior to their pregnancy. Lack of health insurance coverage impacts access to and use of prenatal care. In 2005, the proportion of women receiving early prenatal care was 78% compared to 81% in 2004. Women giving birth with late or no prenatal care increased from 3.6% in 2004 to 4.4% in 2005. The proportion of uncompensated deliveries increased from 6.4% to more than 9% during the same period. Improvement in Florida’s birth outcomes, including infant mortality and low birthweight, have stalled in recent years.
 
Expanding Medicaid coverage for pregnant women is a sound and cost-effective investment in prevention. As advocates work on this issue, stay for further updates and to learn how you can take action.  Read more
 
Parents, Pediatricians Sue Florida’s Medicaid Program
 
A Miami federal judge recently ruled that a group of parents, backed by pediatricians and dentists, can move forward with their lawsuit against Florida’s Medicaid program.
 
The civil rights class action lawsuit alleges that state officials are violating federal law by failing to provide children on Medicaid the same access to essential medical and dental services as children covered by private health plans.
 
Attorneys for the state asked U.S. District Judge Adalberta Jordan to dismiss the complaint, claiming that federal law doesn’t allow pediatricians, dentists and individuals to file such a lawsuit.
 
Judge Jordan, however, rejected the argument and cleared the way for the group to continue their legal proceedings. The plaintiffs include the Florida Pediatric Society, the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and parents of children enrolled in Florida Medicaid.
 
They claim that Florida Medicaid rates are so low that health care providers no longer accept Medicaid patients. In turn, parents have a difficult time finding physicians and dentists to treat their children. The lawsuit outlines cases in which children suffered medical complications because of the lack of medical care available to them.
 
The lawsuit names state officials at the Agency of Health Care Administration, Department of Children and Families and Department of Health.
 
Over 500 Sign Medically Needy Petition To Date
 
Gratitude goes to the over 500 individuals and organizations who’ve signed on to the Medically Needy Petition Campaign. If you haven’t signed the petition to urge the Florida legislature to restructure and lower the “share of cost” system to make it easier to receive needed Medicaid benefits, click here to TAKE ACTION!
 
Stay tuned for information on how this message is being delivered to legislators and for more opportunities to take action.
 
Duval County MRAC Holds Town Hall Meeting on Medicaid Reform

  February 12, 2007

 

The Medicaid Reform Advocates Coalition (MRAC) team in Duval County held a Town Hall meeting on Medicaid Reform and on how systemic changes in Medicare and mental health access affect vulnerable populations.  Sarah Sullivan and Martha Pardo of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA), and Melana Smith of Managed Access To Child Health, Inc. (MATCH) were lead organizers of the event that attracted over 50 participants to the Jacksonville downtown public library. Other sponsors were Florida CHAIN and First Coast Coalition for the Uninsured.

 

l-r Dick Warfel, Lori Bilello, Linda Merrel, Sarah Sullivan, Andrew Leone

Panelists included Lori Bilello, Executive Director of the NE Florida Health Planning Council, who spoke on Medicaid Reform, and Linda Merrell, long time health care advocate and co-chair of the Florida Child Health Care Coalition, who spoke on the effects of Medicare Part D and the potentially devastating effects systemic changes in health care can have on many. A third speaker, Dick Warfel, DCF District 4 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program Supervisor addressed  the effects of Medicaid reform on the Mental Health population, as well as other trends in Peer Support, lack of access to residential treatment and more.

Desiree Durham-Deleon, CSHCN parent and 
Family Health Partner with Family Resource Coalition
  

Consumers, advocates and providers all had an opportunity to share their experiences through reform, many of them remarkably similar to the ones expressed in Broward through roundtable discussions and last fall's Town Hall meeting. These included: difficulty accessing preferred providers, difficulty accessing appropriate medication through the plans, lack of appropriate transportation to providers, and auto-enrollment due to non-receipt of enrollment materials, especially in the case of chronically ill children. In addition, a number of speakers who work with the expanding non-English and non-Spanish speaking populations in NE Florida, discussed language barriers as becoming more and more prevalent.

 

Lisa Broward, AHCA District 4 Supervisor

Lisa Broward, AHCA District 4 Supervisor, and Scott Ettaro of ACS offered to assist some participants with problems that could be resolved on an individual basis.  Others problems, however, reflect systemic misconceptions in a sweeping program that many feel was rushed through for political reasons, without appropriate safety nets in place due to lack of consultation with the stakeholders, especially consumers and advocates.
Medicaid Reform Consumers 
Endangered by Lack of Safeguards

 February 28, 2007

The same week in February that Tom Arnold, Deputy Secretary of Medicaid for the Agency for Halthcare Administration was praising the Medicaid Reform Pilot Project by demonstrating enrollment rates, Choice Counselors’ productivity and the enhanced benefits program at a Duval County Medical Society event, Bradley Mallinger was being hospitalized in Broward for the 4th time since January because his United Healthcare HMO plan doesn’t cover the mental health medication he needs to stay healthy.
 
According to Bradley’s mother, Cheryl, Medicaid Reform has been nothing but a nightmare for her son, not to mention for her and her husband Howard, his caregivers. This is how they tell it:
 
“Bradley, who suffers from severe mental illness, received his enrollment packet last November telling him he had to choose an HMO by January 1st.  Not long after that, a United Healthcare salesman approached him in the parking lot of his doctor’s office and got him to sign up with them.” Besides describing the way the sales rep enrolled their son as “strong armed salesmanship” the Mallinger’s, who moved from New York a little over a year ago, were upset because they had no idea about it until some days later, when Bradley shared the information with them.
 
Trouble started early in January, when Bradley was denied medication prescribed prior to enrollment into the HMO. When the parents asked their son’s physician to help them resolve the issue with the plan, the doctor, who works out of the Florida Medical Center told them it would not be worthwhile to approach United Healthcare “because they don’t pay for (expletive).”
 
“The best thing for our son would be for him to be back on straight Medicaid. We never had these kinds of problems before,” says Cheryl. 
 
In early January, in a case recently reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Robin Eckman, who is diabetic, was denied the kind of insulin that had helped her control her illness. Luckily, her physician contacted an attorney to put pressure on Staywell, the plan she had chosen because her physician was a member, to pay for the prescribed medication. It was almost too late. Had it not been for a concerned friend who found her almost comatose in her apartment, Robin would not have been likely to survive the diabetic shock she was in.
 
Eight days in the hospital later, Robin had to navigate her way through the system again to get the right monitoring strips, as once more she was told by her long time pharmacist that Staywell would not cover the ones that had been prescribed by her doctor. The issue was resolved when consumer advocates contacted Broward AHCA officials, who contacted the plan’s representative, who blamed the pharmacist for incorrectly coding the strips.  Happy ending notwithstanding, while the system played itself out, the consumer once again was placed at risk while she waited for a resolution.
 

Bradley’s and Robin’s cases reflect the dangers of instituting widescale reform to control costs before safety nets in place to protect the most vulnerable consumers. These and many other examples highlight the need for careful, honest evaluation and subsequent improvement with further evaluation of the Broward and Duval pilots before considering program expansion.


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

Return to Top

RECENT HEALTH ARTICLES

February 28, 2007 

 

Florida News & Opinions

    KidCare, SCHIP, Healthy Start

    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

FLORIDA NEWS & OPINIONS

 

KidCare, SCHIP, Healthy Start

               
OPINION: Guaranteed KidCare?
Florida has a subsidized health insurance program for children who have no coverage. So, does the Florida Constitution need to be amended "to guarantee every child in the state has available, accessible and affordable comprehensive, quality health care including basic dental and vision care"? If the Legislature adequately financed the KidCare program the answer would be an easy no. Instead, the Legislature repeatedly has done everything possible to ensure that KidCare does not reach many of the 700,000 children in the state who lack access to health care. Renewed commitment to KidCare is encouraging, but is it enough to overcome - and prevent a repeat of - the state's efforts to undermine KidCare over the past seven years? (2/27/07, Palm Beach Post)


KidCare accessibility ills getting a hard look
The number of uninsured children in Florida could be dramatically reduced if lawmakers can make it easier for parents to get their kids into the state's subsidized health insurance program, backers of the idea said Thursday. About 700,000 children in Florida can't get health care because they're uninsured. Advocates who have worked to get more children into the KidCare program say there's growing interest in making it easier to enroll. Advocates say enrollment has dropped sharply - by nearly 120,000 in the last three years - not because money's been short but because of administrative barriers to getting in. Parents say it can be hard to enroll, difficult to navigate, and for some, hard to figure out if they're eligible. (2/23/07, St. Petersburg Times, Lakeland Ledger, Miami Herald, Bradenton Herald)


OPINION: Florida challenge: Fewer children have health insurance
Over the coming months, states will be urging Congress to reauthorize a successful program that provides health insurance to 6 million American children. But the state that pioneered the concept of subsidized health insurance is in a sorry position to argue for the program's survival. Participation in Florida KidCare -- which includes children's Medicaid and Healthy Kids, the state-backed insurance plan -- dropped by more than 130,000 children over two years. This year, the state will miss out on $17 million in federal money that could have been used to give Florida children access to routine checkups, dental care and prescriptions. Gov. Charlie Crist says he wants to pump $44 million into the program in the coming year. But that cash, like the federal money, could languish in the state's bank account unless the Legislature gets to the root of the under-use of KidCare. (2/20/07, Daytona Beach News-Journal)


Renewed interest benefits KidCare: governor and chief financial officer have plans to revive the program

Two new faces and an unprecedented decision in Tallahassee are breathing life into a children's health care program that was once on life support. KidCare, a state-funded health insurance service that aids more than 200,000 Florida children from lower-income families, is enjoying a slight resurgence in the Legislature after years of declining enrollment that some say was engineered by reducing outreach efforts. This year, Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink have some high-profile plans to revive it. (2/14/07, Florida Times-Union)

Healthy Start Calls For Help
As the birthrate accelerates, health advocates say Florida must spend much more to reduce infant deaths and underweight babies, especially in the Tampa Bay area. The cry for help came Monday from leaders of Healthy Start, a program started by Gov. Lawton Chiles 16 years ago to reduce Florida's infant mortality rate. Advocates say that while infant deaths in Florida have declined in recent years, they remain "shockingly" high, the result of too many young women living in poverty with poor education and nutrition and no access to health care.  (2/12/07, St. Petersburg Times)

Medicare and Medicaid

 

Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost


Other Medicare, Medicaid


OPINION: An answer in tax increase?
By Lisa Margulis, executive director of Florida CHAIN, a health and well-being advocacy organization
Each year in Florida alone, the tobacco industry counts on 40,000 more people, mostly youth, picking up the habit to make up for the 30,000 or so who die from its effects. Youth who watch romantic and action role models in blockbuster movies light up. Youth who are bombarded every day by marketing campaigns aimed at exploiting their insecurities and sense of "cool." And yet, whatever doubts there may have been as to the negative effects of tobacco, directly and through second-hand smoke, have long since been dispelled by every reputable medical source, from the surgeon general on down. Can tobacco sales possibly hold any kind of silver lining? Consider the problems that could be addressed with an additional $1 tax per pack of cigarettes. (2/19/07, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)


Florida's Medicaid reform is disrupting care of some patients, critics say

After many medical crises, Robin Eckman finally found a type of insulin that controlled her unstable diabetes. Then came Florida's Medicaid reform experiment. Like 210,000 other Medicaid recipients in Broward and Duval counties, Eckman is being moved from regular coverage into a managed-care plan. The first time she went for insulin, her new plan denied it and instead authorized a basic insulin that had not worked in the past and that her doctor opposed. A few days later, on Jan. 8, a friend found Eckman in her Fort Lauderdale apartment almost comatose in diabetic shock with a blood sugar level of 600, about six times normal. She spent 12 days in the hospital last month and was back in the hospital Monday for a fifth day with more complications. (2/20/07, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

 

EDITORIAL: Cold-hearted Medicaid cuts
In its latest attempt to loot the nation's safety-net hospitals, the Bush administration offers a special insult to Florida. Its dramatic Medicaid cutbacks would also renege on a deal it made with then-Gov. Jeb Bush just 16 months ago. As administrative fiats go, this one is as dishonorable as it is cold-hearted. And Florida's congressional delegation needs to fight it. (2/26/07, St. Petersburg Times)

 
EDITORIAL: Health Costs ISSUE: Rule would cut hospital reimbursements
South Florida health care providers and elected leaders are right to express concerns about proposed federal cuts in hospital funding. The burden of proof is on the Bush administration to prove the sharp reductions are in the nation's best interest. (2/17/07, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board)

 

Hospital hopes to recoup loss: $7 million reporting error corrected but new Medicaid rules threaten future funds
Manatee Memorial Hospital hopes to recoup $7 million lost last year because of a reporting error that understated the amount of charity care the hospital provided. Although the mistake has been corrected, only Florida lawmakers can restore the lost Medicaid funds, said Jerry Christine, Manatee Memorial's chief finance officer. The $7 million loss was a significant blow, coming in the same year Manatee Memorial wrote off more than $51 million in uncollected fees, said Moody Chisholm, Manatee Memorial's CEO. Those factors, combined with deep Medicare, additional Medicaid reimbursement cuts and the soaring number of uninsured patients, have compounded the county's escalating indigent care crisis, Chisholm said. (2/16/07, Bradenton Herald)

 
Medicare Part B premiums could increase 17 percent
Medicare Part B premiums could increase a whopping $15.90 a month next year to $109.40, a 17 percent increase from the current $93.50, according to a forecast released today. The projection of the highest dollar increase in outpatient care premiums in Medicare's history was prepared by TREA Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan association of about 1.2 million members that grew out of a military retirees organization about a decade ago. Medicare's trustees are expected to project a premium increase when they issue their annual report this spring, but final figures won't be released by the federal government until next year. (2/13/07, Palm Beach Post) 

 

Seniors urged to get shingles shot, but vaccine is snared in red tape
Federal health officials are recommending that all senior citizens across South Florida and the nation get a new vaccine for shingles, a condition that can cause excruciating pain lasting for months. But unlike flu and pneumonia shots, Zostavax is not covered by traditional Medicare. The expensive shingles vaccine will be paid for only through Medicare's new stand-alone prescription plans or Medicare HMOs -- the first recommended immunization for older adults to be handled this way. The rest of Medicare participants will have to pay on their own, usually around $200 for the one-time shot. Even if they're willing to foot the bill, South Florida seniors may find their doctors reluctant to offer the treatment, as the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services still is trying to work out vaccine delivery and physician payment details. (2/19/07, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

 

Universal dodges a bullet
Universal Health Care Insurance Co. avoided being forced into liquidation by Florida regulators on Thursday when it met a noon deadline for adding $11-million to its coffers. Universal Health Care Insurance Co. avoided being forced into liquidation by Florida regulators on Thursday when it met a noon deadline for adding $11-million to its coffers. But the St. Petersburg company, which offers a private fee for service Medicare plan in Florida and seven other states, remains in "hazardous financial condition" without an infusion of new capital, the state said. (2/23/07, St. Petersburg Times)

 

Insurer stops selling Medicare alternative: State is worried about Universal Health Care's "Any, Any, Any" plan

Universal Health Care, creator of the fast-growing "Any, Any, Any" Medicare alternative plan, has stopped selling the plan after state regulators raised concerns about the company's financial reserves. About two weeks ago, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation began investigating whether the St. Petersburg-based company sold more policies than its reserves support. "We notified them days ago that if they do not meet state solvency guidelines, it would be a violation of state law if they were to keep selling policies," agency spokesman Bob Lotane said. (2/16/07, Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

 

Health Insurance and Costs

 
Push To Make Health Care Costs More Transparent
People without health insurance not only have to pay themselves, they often pay higher rates than the insured. And there's really no way to know exactly what a procedure will cost. But there's a push to change that and to make costs more transparent and fair. Last October, David Congero of Palm Coast went to the hospital for two outpatient procedures on his heart. He was there for a total of 14 hours. A week later he got the bill. "My heart races, my blood pounds, my head explodes and I'm furious," said Congero. Like millions of other Americans, Congero does not have medical insurance. "I get a bill for $22,000 and then a second bill for $25,000," said Congero. (2/27/07, wftv.com) 

 

Health help: Sen. Martinez has an insurance plan
The number hasn't changed in several years except perhaps to inch upward. There are today some 47 million

Americans who have no health insurance. They're self-employed carpenters, farmers, house painters, artists or even entrepreneurs-in-the making; they work for small businesses or local service providers who aren't big enough or don't have enough employees to offer affordable employee health insurance plans. U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez was traveling in the state last week, touting his proposed Tax Equity and Affordability Act of 2007, which would provide tax credits to individuals and families without employer-sponsored insurance so they can buy private health insurance on their own.  (2/26/07, Tallahassee Democrat)

 

EDITORIAL: Surplus of bureaucracy

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration expects a nearly $110 million budget surplus. So, why does Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities have a waiting list of 13,000 families? AHCA told the Legislative Budget Commission last month that the agency's projected $108.5 million surplus is in the "Hospital Inpatient Services" category. The disabilities agency's waiting list is for 13,489 people with autism, cerebral palsy, dental retardation, Prader Willi syndrome, spina bifida, along with others at high risk of being diagnosed with a developmental disability, awaiting a Home and Community-Based Services waiver through Medicaid. But spare the bureaucratic explanation of the two different agencies having different pockets of money to serve different pockets of the population. Forget the rule against "appropriating non-recurring funds" for "recurring" needs. In the plain language that Gov. Crist favors, one agency set up to help Floridians has millions more than it needs. Another agency set up to help Floridians needs millions more. And the two agencies already are entwined. AHCA develops and enforces Medicaid policies and handles payments for many services the disabilities agency provides. (2/17/07, Palm Beach Post)

 

Affordable Health Care Vital for Polk
Prepare for a comprehensive answer if you ask Nancy Thompson why affordable, accessible health care is important. The Frostproof resident goes beyond the dollar cost for patients, hospitals and employers to address the emotional and financial disruption that ensue when people lack access to health insurance or can't afford what their companies offer. "We have lot of people in the work force who are one illness, one toothache, one day without child care, away from not having a job," said Thompson, chairwoman of a citizens committee that monitors how Polk County spends its half-cent indigent-care sales tax. (2/19/07, Lakeland Ledger)

 
'I want to live,' says man denied surgery

He wants his insurer to reverse a decision to deny coverage for a weight-loss procedure. After suffering a back injury three years ago, Neal Pittard's weight ballooned from less than 300 pounds to 500 or more. He's not sure exactly how much he weighs, but he's sure of this: His weight is literally killing him. Pittard and his doctors have concluded that gastric-bypass surgery is his only realistic hope for survival. But his insurance company doesn't see it that way. Nothing unusual there: Few health insurers cover gastric-bypass and other bariatric surgeries, most of which cost $20,000 to $30,000. (2/12/07, Orlando Sentinel)

Other Health Issues 


Nelson proposes fix for doctor shortages
Florida’s growing population and aging baby boomers are leaving many patients, physicians and hospital administrators concerned about maintaining access to health care. In response, U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Harry Reid (D-NV) filed legislation on Wednesday that would help address this growing problem by bringing more doctors-in-training to Florida and other states with shortages. (2/15/07, Tampa Bay Newspapers)

Castor pushes for more docs in Tampa
The Tampa Bay area would get additional Medicare-supported physician residency training positions under a measure introduced by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor. (2/21/07, Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Cancer vaccine start put off year
The sponsor of a bill that would require girls entering middle school in Florida to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer said Tuesday he plans to change his bill so that it would take effect a year later. (2/21/07, Palm Beach Post)

EDITORIAL: Not so fast: The push to require all girls to get HPV vaccine is premature.
The defeat of cancer in all its forms is modern medicine's Holy Grail, but Texas' requirement that all girls receive a cervical-cancer vaccine goes too far. (2/19/07, Orlando Sentinel)


Praised cancer vaccine beset by critics
Cervical cancer is expected to strike about 11,000 U.S. females this year. A new vaccine, Gardasil, made by Merck & Co., approved by the FDA and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is touted as being able to prevent 70 percent of the cases. (2/18/07, Miami Herald)


OPINION: Biases cripple U.S. health-care system
By William A. Ternent, former professor, college administrator,  health planning and system development professional, and business professional. Now retired, he lives in Port Orange.
The "health" care delivered by the existing medical care system in Florida and the United States costs too much, is growing at a rate that is out of control and performs poorly for the price being paid by the public. To make matters worse, it creates to a large extent its own market, is fraught with errors that kill and maim its customers, covers its own shortcomings and denigrates health maintenance and healing approaches less invasive, less expensive and more effective than many it prescribes or advocates. (2/18/07, Daytona Beach News-Journal)

 
Severely ill await two new hospitals
Two new hospitals are under construction in Palm Beach County - the county's first long-term-care facilities. When they open early next year, the hospitals will focus on treating patients for an average of four weeks. The average length of stay at the area's general acute-care hospitals is four days. Louisville, Ky.-based Kindred Healthcare last week started construction of a 70-bed long-term-care hospital near the intersection of Blue Heron Boulevard and Military Trail in Riviera Beach. Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based Select Medical Corp. last month broke ground on a 60-bed long-term-care hospital on Melaleuca Lane west of Lake Worth. (2/13/07, Palm Beach Post)

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINIONS

 

Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP

  

Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost

 

National Governors Association Recommends Revisions To Prescription Drug Benefit Implementation

The National Governors Association in a letter to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt recommended that the Bush administration make several revisions to the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.  In the letter,  the group recommended that the Bush administration "adjust the calculation of state contributions for 2007 to be consistent with the intent of the (Medicare drug law) and ensure state contributions reflect the actual cost of the benefit and are phased down over time." NGA also recommended that CMS ensure states receive appropriate reimbursements for costs associated with the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit in January 2006. According to NGA, "We urge you to reimburse states fully for any outstanding claims as quickly as possible, including those claims paid for beneficiaries in State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs who are not eligible for the low-income subsidy." In addition, NGA recommended that CMS "continue to play a central role" in coordination of coverage for beneficiaries eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. NGA wrote, "It is necessary that CMS facilitate a better process for coordination of benefits between states and plans. To aid this effort, states should be granted access to Part D claims data." (2/19/07, Medical News Today)

 

Health Priorities High on AARP Agenda
Examining how Medicare pays physicians and managed care plans and giving the government the power to negotiate directly with drug makers as part of the Medicare drug program are all top legislative priorities for AARP, the powerful seniors' group said. (2/19/07, CQ HealthBeat)

 

OPINION: High cost for me-too drugs
A bill passed last month by the House that would require the HHS secretary to negotiate prices directly with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit "would have very little effect" on prices "because it forbids Medicare from excluding drugs from coverage - and thereby denies it the leverage needed for bargaining." (2/12/07, Boston Globe)

Other Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP News  

Cuts To Medicare, Medicaid To Have Lasting Repercussions On U.S. Seniors' Care Quality
In response to the testimony of Acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Leslie Norwalk before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) said the Administration's proposed FY 2008 Budget is "far off course" in terms of strengthening the nation's long term care system, and warned pending cuts to Medicare and Medicaid would have lasting repercussions on the quality of care provided to the nation's seniors. (2/15/07, Medical News Today)

OPINION: New York Times Slams Bush's Proposed Budget Cuts
Calling President George Bush's proposed budget health care cuts "shortsighted," a New York Times editorial bemoans potential funding reductions in Medicare and the "highly acclaimed" State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). (2/12/07, New York Times)
 
Columnist E.J. Dionne Jr., citing both Democratic and Republican concern about Bush's budget plans for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), writes that the proposed cuts would hurt working families. (2/9/07, Washington Post)
 
Budget Plan Hits Health Sector in the Market Basket
The fiscal 2008 budget proposal released by the White House would reduce yearly Medicare payment updates across the health sector to grab the lion's share of the $76 billion the administration proposes to cut from the program over the next five years. The plan also would shave $26 billion from federal Medicaid spending over that period, for a total of $102 billion in cuts over both programs over five years. (2/5/07, CQ HealthBeat)
 
Govs Call on Congress to Block CMS Rule on Public Providers
The nation's governors sent a letter to congressional leaders in both parties asking them to block the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from issuing a rule in the coming months that state officials say could cost them $5 billion over five years. (2/19/07, CQ HealthBeat)

Child Health Care Splits White House and States
Governors clashed with the White House on Monday over the future of the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, an issue that some members of both parties said was as important as money for the Iraq war. In the session at the White House, when President Bush reported on progress of the war, governors pressed him to provide more money so they could guarantee health insurance for children. In response, administration officials said states should make better use of the money they already had. (2/27/07, New York Times)
 
Governors Worry Over Money for Child Health Program
Governors from 13 states appealed to Congress and the Bush administration for swift action to protect hundreds of thousands of children who could lose benefits. (2/25/07, New York Times)
 
Bipartisan Children's Health Plan Unveiled
Democratic and Republican House members, backed by a broad industry and consumer coalition, announced a $60 billion plan Friday that is intended to provide health insurance to most American children without it. (2/16/07, CQ HealthBeat)
 
Bipartisan House Bill Proposes Large Expansion of SCHIP
A bipartisan group of House members voiced their support for legislation called "The Healthy Kids Act of 2007," which would reauthorize and "dramatically expand" the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). (2/16/07, Chicago Tribune)

The Debate Ahead on SCHIP
Funding levels, outreach activities, and coverage of adults are all among the major issues in the debate over reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Battle lines already are emerging over SCHIP provisions in President Bush's fiscal 2008 budget proposal. The president's plan would increase SCHIP funding by $675 million, to $5 billion in fiscal 2008. The president also proposes transferring unspent money within SCHIP so the program could spend $1.2 billion more in fiscal 2008. But Democrats have argued that it will take an additional $12 billion to $15 billion over the next five years to fully fund the program. (2/9/07, CQ HealthBeat)
 

 

Health Insurance and Costs

 

States and Bush's Budget at Odds on Aid for Uninsured

In the absence of federal action, governors and state legislators around the country are transforming the nation’s health care system, putting affordable health insurance within reach of millions of Americans in hopes of reversing the steady rise in the number of uninsured, now close to 47 million. But the states appear to be on a collision course with the Bush administration, whose latest budget proposals create a huge potential obstacle to their efforts to expand coverage. While offering to work with states by waiving requirements of federal law, the Bush administration has balked at state initiatives that increase costs to the federal government. (2/13/07, New York Times)

 

President Bush Pledges to Cover More of the Nation's Uninsured
President George Bush, in his weekly radio address, promised to seek a bipartisan solution that would use the current private system to make insurance more affordable for the 47 million uninsured Americans. (2/18/07, AP)

 

Bush Agrees to Work With Blueprint for Covering the Uninsured Proposed by Bipartisan Group of Senators
A group of five Republican and five Democratic senators agreed on a blueprint for boosting health insurance coverage in the nation, and President Bush agreed to work with the lawmakers on it, reports the Associated Press. (2/13/07, AP)


US Senators Seek New Push on Health Care
A bipartisan group of senators have signaled a willingness to work with President George W. Bush on an effort to improve the U.S. health care system, saying it was crucial to rein in costs and expand coverage to the uninsured. In a development welcomed by the White House, a group of 10 senators  wrote to Bush offering to work with him on legislation and citing an urgent need to deal with the problem of surging health costs. (2/13/07, Reuters)


Business and Labor Partnerships Reflect Corporate Concern Over Rising Health Care Costs
With companies increasingly unable to afford to offer health coverage, the message that the nation's health care system needs fixing is increasingly common in corporate America. (2/13/07, Christian Science Monitor)

 

Wal-Mart and SEIU Jointly Call for Health Coverage for All Americans by 2012
In an "unlikely coalition of business and labor," giant retailer Wal-Mart joined with the nation's biggest union and other groups to call for "quality, affordable" health coverage for all Americans by 2012. (2/8/07, Los Angeles Times)


Obama and Romney Enter Presidential Race, Clinton Discusses Health Care
Democratic presidential candidates Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton promised universal health care, and former Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney entered the campaign after successfully achieving near universal coverage in Massachusetts. (multiple sources)

 

OPINION: Columnist Endorses Democratic Candidate Edwards' Health Care Plan
Former North Carolina Democratic Senator John Edwards, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, offers a "smart, serious" plan for achieving universal health care that "addresses both the problem of the uninsured and the waste and inefficiency of our fragmented insurance system." (2/9/07, New York Times)

 

Edwards Offers Universal Health Care Plan
Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards on Monday proposed spending up to $120 billion a year to fix a "dysfunctional" health care system by requiring health insurance for all Americans and helping to make it more affordable. Edwards said his health care plan, the first offered by a 2008 White House candidate, was designed to force private companies, government and individuals to share responsibility for insurance coverage. (2/5/07, Reuters)


Some Employers Are Offering Free Drugs

For years, employers have been pushing their workers to pay more for health care, raising premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses in an effort to save money for the company and force workers to seek only the most necessary care. Now some employers are reversing course, convinced that their pennywise approach does not always reduce long-term costs. In the most radical of various moves, a number of employers are now giving away drugs to help workers manage chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and depression.  (2/21/07, New York Times)

 

A Health Plan to Hush Up Harry and Louise
The Federation of American Hospitals unveiled a new plan to cover the uninsured, emphasizing that it builds on the current system of coverage and won't plunge Americans into uncertainty about their health care. (2/19/07, CQ HealthBeat)


New Insurance Legislation Would End Discrimination Against People With Mental Health Disorders
The United States Senate  has introduced new legislation to end discrimination against people with mental health disorders and assure treatment is available for those who need it. The Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 would provide mental health insurance coverage equivalent to physical health coverage, benefiting 113 million Americans in large group health plans. The  bill requires that copayments for office visits, deductibles, limits on number of visits, out-of-network and in-network services for psychological services be treated the same as physical health services. It also includes coverage for substance abuse and chemical dependency services. In addition, the bill preserves existing state laws requiring diagnoses coverage. (2/12/07, Medical News Today)
 

Other Health Issues

 

EDITORIAL: A Necessary Vaccine
Debate over a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts has reached a high pitch. State legislatures are debating whether to mandate the vaccine or insist that its use be kept voluntary. The manufacturer stopped a vigorous lobbying campaign lest it provoke more opposition than support. And some health professionals who had been championing the vaccine flinched at making it mandatory, at least for now. Even so, state legislatures should require that all young girls be given this vaccine, which protects against a virus that causes some 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the United States each year — and 3,700 cancer deaths. (2/26/07, New York Times)

 

Editorial: Doctors Who Fail Their Patients
A new survey has revealed that a disturbing number of doctors feel no responsibility to inform patients of treatments that they deem immoral or to refer them to other doctors for care. A new survey has revealed that a disturbing number of doctors feel no responsibility to inform patients of treatments that they deem immoral or to refer them to other doctors for care.  (2/13/07, New York Times)
Return to Top

HEALTH ADVOCACY RESOURCES

February 28, 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, SCHIP   

        New Listings: Federal Budget

        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 CHAIN has advocacy tools available online.

 

Expanding Medicaid Eligibility for Pregnant Women

(By Carol Brady of Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions)
This one-page report responds to these questions: Why is health care coverage important during pregnancy?How does Medicaid impact health care coverage for pregnant women? Why do we need to expand Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women? How can Florida expand coverage for pregnant women? Expanded eligibility would leverage federal funding for the uninsured, increasing access to prenatal care for at-risk women and matching SCHIP Medicaid eligibility for infants through age one. Expanding Medicaid coverage for uninsured women up to 200% of the federal poverty level would provide needed support to the working, uninsured families for whom pregnancy-related health care is a significant burden.

 

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 listings

 

Take Action: Healthy People, Places and Practices in Communities
Deadline: March 30
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Public Health and Science, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the Regional Health Administrators are requesting proposals from community-based organizations and others to evaluate the impact of a unique set of healthy lifestyles activities in local settings that support the President's HealthierUS initiative.

 
Diabetes Educators Process-Outcome Linkages "Building the Evidence"

Deadline: April 1

This American Association of Diabetes Educators  RFA seeks applications using innovative approaches to examine the efficacy of diabetes educator interventions for improving self-care behavior in managing T1D or T2D or a related condition.

 

Community Program/Community-Based Participatory Research
Letter of Intent Due: April 13

Invited Full Proposal Due:  June 22

The Lance Armstrong  Foundation seeks to create a  community of individuals and organizations across the United  States that both understands the challenges and opportunities  that a cancer experience presents and is committed to collaborating to address and resolve the physical, emotional, and  practical issues faced by cancer survivors. Interventions must be cancer survivorship-related and may be designed to directly impact health or behavior, or be targeted at providers, systems, and/or policies.  CBPR is defined as a collaborative, equitable research partnership that has the following characteristics:  It is participatory; It is cooperative, engaging community members and researchers in a joint process in which both contribute equally; It is a co-learning process; It involves system development and local community capacity building; It is an empowering process through which participants can increase control over their lives; It achieves a balance between research and action. Funding maximum: $25,000; Period of Support: 1 to 2 years.


Community Program – Evolution Grant

Letter of Intent Due: April 13

Invited Full Proposal Due:  June 22

The Lance Armstrong Foundation endeavors to positively impact survivors by partnering with community organizations to develop and expand direct service and support programs that address quality-of-life issues. The LAF Community Program provides financial support and capacity-building to community non-profit organizations enhancing the quality of life today for those living with, through and beyond cancer. Evolution Grant priority is given to projects that employ innovative, collaborative approaches to addressing long-term survivorship issues and the needs of underserved communities including, but not limited to adolescent/young adult survivors, ethnic and racial minorities, and rural populations.  Grant applications will be considered in four subject areas: 1. Physical Activity and Nutrition; 2. Survivorship Education; 3. Emotional Support; 4. Practical Issues of Survivorship.  Organizations should have a well-developed design for the program and a complete plan for its implementation and evaluation. Funding up to $100,000 over two years OR up to $150,000 over three years.


Community Program – Implementation Grant

Letter of Intent Due: April 13

Invited Full Proposal Due:  June 22

The LAF Community Program provides financial support and capacity-building to community non-profit organizations enhancing the quality of life today for those living with, through and beyond cancer. The LAF also offers its Community Program partners regular training, technical assistance and the opportunity to discuss challenges and exchange best practices at an annual Community Program conference.  Priority is given to projects that employ innovative, collaborative approaches to addressing long-term survivorship issues and the needs of underserved communities including, but not limited to adolescent/young adult survivors, ethnic and racial minorities, and rural populations.  Grant applications will be considered in 1. Physical Activity and Nutrition; 2. Survivorship Education; 3. Emotional Support; 4. Practical Issues of Survivorship. Funding maximum $25,000 per year. Period of Support 1 to 2 years

 

Supporting Innovation in Health and Health Care
Deadline:  July 10
The Local Initiative Funding Partners Program (LIFP) is a partnership program between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and local grant-makers to fund promising, original projects to significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities.

Continuing listings, in order of submission deadlines

 

Health Management and Policy Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) for Undergraduates
Application deadline: March 15
The School of Public Health at the University of Michigan is committed to eliminating racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health (health disparities). As part of this commitment, the School of Public Health offers health management and policy internships and class work in a summer program that addresses these health disparities.

 

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida 
Deadline: March 16
The foundation seeks to enhance access  to quality health-related services for Floridians, with a  particular focus on the uninsured and underserved. In 2007, the foundation will focus a significant portion of its resources on maximizing impact in the area of community-based health clinics and outreach services. The greatest percentage  of the foundation's funding will be used to identify, nurture,  and sustain such activities to benefit underserved and uninsured populations. The foundation awards up to $1.5 million annually in grants during two proposal cycles, summer and winter. For the calendar  year 2007, requests generally will be considered for proposals of all sizes, from $10,000 up to $100,000 each. Although multi- year commitments up to three years may be made, depending on the  request, need, and the funds available, the total dollar request should not exceed $100,000.

 
Fresh Ideas: Improving the Health of Immigrant and Refugee Communities
Application Deadline: Apr 13
This 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. 
 
NIH: Community Participation in Research
Deadline:  May 18

The goal of this funding opportunity announcement is to support research on health promotion, disease prevention and health disparities that is jointly conducted by communities and researchers. This funding opportunity announcement will utilize the National Institutes of Health research project grant (R01) award mechanism and runs in parallel with an announcement of identical scientific scope, PAR-06-247, that solicits applications under the exploratory/Developmental Grant (R21) award mechanism. 


The Effect of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination/Bias on Healthcare Delivery
Deadline: 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.
 
United Healthcare Children's Foundation Helps Underinsured Children
The Foundation offers support for children nationwide with assistance grants for medical services not fully covered by health insurance. Parents and caretakers can apply for up to $5,000.00 for health care services that will help improve their children's health and quality of life.  Eligible children must be 16 or younger. Families must meet economic guidelines, live in the U.S. and be covered by a commercial health insurance plan.  Examples of the types of medical services covered by include speech therapy; physical therapy and psychotherapy; medical equipment such as wheelchairs, braces, hearing aids and eye-glasses, and orthodontic and dental treatments. The Foundation has helped more than 375 families and provided nearly $1 million in financial assistance

 

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.

 

Free Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 Planning Materials Available
Start planning and promoting activities now—with help from newly updated planning guides! This year, Cover the Uninsured Week comes at a critical juncture in the health coverage debate: After 10 years, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is up for reauthorization in Congress. Our nation's leaders have the opportunity to provide funding to cover the children currently enrolled in SCHIP and expand the program to cover millions more children in need of health coverage. As a result, Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 will focus on the importance of children's health coverage and the success of SCHIP. To help you promote the importance and availability of SCHIP, these guides are now available:   Health and Enrollment Fair Planning; Working with the Media; Editorial Placement; Campus Event Planning. Additional Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 materials will be posted.

 

Five Guidelines for Developing Customer-Friendly Websites
This new Covering Kids & Families publication is intended to help state agencies and other organizations do a

better job of helping people find information on the Web about Medicaid, SCHIP and other government services by producing a customer-friendly site.


Amigos en Salud Online Disparities Toolkit
Pfizer has created a free toolkit to help community health centers reduce racial health disparities. The program, called Amigos en Salud/Friends in Health, involves training community health workers to be a bridge between minority communities and the healthcare system. 

 

Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities: A Quality Improvement Initiative in Medicaid Managed Care ToolkitCenter for Health Care Strategies
The toolkit examines the experiences of a workgroup - comprising 10 Medicaid health plans and a state primary care case management association - that adopted strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic health disparities in birth outcomes and immunizations, asthma care and diabetes care. (January 2007)

 

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 


LIVE Webcast - Is the U.S. Making Progress in Reducing Disparities in Healthcare Access and Quality?
March 2  1:00 pm EST
Kaiser Family Foundation will launch this new series of live, interactive webcasts entitled "Today's Topics in Health Disparities," which will be devoted to addressing a range of issues relating to health and health care disparities in the US. Each discussion will feature a panel of experts tackling current issues in health disparities and answering questions from webcast viewers.

Women's Health Audio Conference
March 5   11:30 am-12:30 pm
The Infant, Maternal, and Reproductive Health Unit (Florida Dept of Health) is hosting this sixth statewide audio conference in the series on best practices in women's health services. Phone Number:  1-888-808-6959 Conference Code:  6772513.  Guest presenters from three county health departments and the state health office will talk about current local initiatives geared toward helping woman achieve and maintain positive health behaviors and healthy weight.  They will discuss the CityMatCH Action Learning Collaborative that was awarded to Florida, which will utilize information from these programs to pilot a curriculum geared toward post- partum women. For more information, contact Cheryl_Robbins@doh.state.fl.us  or 850/245-4444, ext. 2980.

Medicare Home Health Care
March 8  1:00-2:30 pm EST
This free educational web seminar presented by the Medicare Rights Center unfolds the home health care benefit—what services Medicare covers, how often and for how long.

Health Action 2007 National Grassroots Meeting
You can view the webcasts of plenary speakers (Sen. Barack Obama, Uwe Reinhardt, Sen. Edward Kennedy, and more); peruse the tool kit; meet the consumer health advocates of the year; check out the materials from many of the plenaries and workshops; and browse the many photos that were taken. The slide presentation Resuming the Path to Health Coverage for Children and Parents consists primarily of charts showing the state of health insurance access for families. States have shown renewed enthusiasm for covering the uninsured, especially children, but the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) has also caused some setbacks.

Bridging the Divide: Medicare's Role in Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities
This Jan. 29, 2007 event examined a growing body of evidence indicating disparities in quality of care among Medicare beneficiaries of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Panelists also discussed whether and how the Medicare program should use its clout as a health care payer and player to move toward eliminating racial and ethnic disparities. Webcast available through Kaiser Network.

National Town Hall Meeting on Children’s Health Coverage
During Campaign for Children's Health Care's town hall meeting, Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and Gordon Smith (R-OR) expressed their bipartisan support for expanding children’s health coverage. This bodes well for efforts to achieve health coverage for all kids. An archived Web cast of the 35-minute national town hall meeting is available on the campaign’s Web site.

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

 

Statehealthfacts.org Updates Data on Medicaid & SCHIP Coverage for Children
Statehealthfacts.org has updated information on eligibility levels for children in Medicaid and SCHIP and parents and pregnant women in Medicaid using survey data from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU). The latest information on Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment practices for pregnant women and children and renewal practices is also now available. Overall SCHIP spending for FY 2006 and Federal SCHIP spending data from FY 1998 through FY 2006 are also now available. Recent additions to the site include new information on children's demographics and health insurance status from analysis of the Census Bureau's March 2005 and 2006 Current Population Surveys. These additions include the distribution of children by race/ethnicity, the distribution of children by citizenship status, and health insurance coverage among low-income children living near poverty.

 

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

 

New Database for Medical Language Access
The Medical Leadership Council on Cultural Proficiency has unveiled a first-of-its-kind database designed to

assist physicians and others in providing improved language access and culturally competent health care. With more than 350 initial entries, the searchable, internet-based, free-to-the-public database includes contact information for interpreters, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, public health departments and others that provide health information and services in languages other than English. Users, including physicians, nurses, social service workers, patients and the general public, can search for listings by county, by language, or by type of service.

 

Fact Sheets on Medicare, Long-Term Care Spending; Medicaid; Long-Term Spending Data
Fact sheets, Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project: The Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project has released two new fact sheets on Medicare and long-term care and Medicaid policy that aims to protect the incomes and resources of spouses of nursing home residents who are trying to enroll in Medicaid. The project also has updated its 2005 national long-term care spending estimates.  (February 2007, Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project)

 

2007 Federal Poverty Guidelines Now Available
The Southern Institute on Children and Families has made available the 2007 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Compiled from the 2007 HHS Poverty Guidelines, these guidelines provide income levels for families at 50%, 100%, 125%, 133%, 150%, 185% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Information is provided for the continental United States and separately for Alaska and Hawaii.


Children in Vulnerable Families: Facts and Figures
This fact sheet looks at trends in some of the most significant risks facing families today: child maltreatment, domestic violence, children's disabilities, substance abuse, and parental mental illness. While these challenges can occur in families at all income levels, many -- such as depression, domestic violence, and child abuse - are disproportionately frequent among low-income families. More than 28.5 million children live in low-income households, which have annual incomes up to twice the federal poverty level, or about $40,000 in 2005 for a family of four.  (Dec 2006,  Urban Institute)

 

Women's Health Insurance Coverage Fact Sheet
As the cost of health insurance continues to rise, women in particular may face difficult challenges affording coverage because they are disproportionately low-income and can have poorer access to employer-based insurance. This fact sheet describes the major sources of health insurance coverage for women ages 18-64, including employer-sponsored insurance and Medicaid. It provides information on the more than 17 million women who are uninsured and summarizes the major policy challenges facing women in the health insurance sector. (Feb 2007, Kaiser Family Foundation)


Update on State Pharmacy Programs 
State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs: A Chartbook--Updated and Revised, presents a wealth of data on state drug assistance programs throughout the country. In addition to eligibility requirements, benefit design, and program administration, the chartbook provides details on the most recent annual enrollment, utilization, and program expenditures for these programs. It also serves as a baseline for comparing and contrasting program offerings with the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. You can also download the charts to create a PowerPoint presentation. (Jan. 2007, Commonwealth Fund)


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.

    

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

 

Collateral Damage: Bad Medicine in Tennessee
In 2005, when Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee announced he would reform his state’s Medicaid program,

people took him at his word. Little did they know that Bredesen’s idea of reform meant cutting 190,000 people off the program almost overnight. The size and speed of the cuts were unprecedented; the suffering they caused was immeasurable. The sickest, neediest people were denied medical care while the nation sat by and watched, and the Governor boasted to other heads of states about his success reigning in the rising cost of health care. This intense, moving film exposes the injustice that occurred in Tennessee and its implications for Medicaid cuts nationwide. In the richest nation in the world, where people die every day because they lack access to health care, the disparities revealed in this film are chilling.

 

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

New National Child Survey Research Results: Pediatrics special volume highlights NSCH research articles
The Pediatrics special volume issue illustrates national and state findings from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). In this issue, there are fifteen articles that provide critical information for policy makers and others concerned with ensuring the best care and health outcomes for children. To preview these articles visit the Data Resource Center for the National Survey of Children's Health home page and click on the Pediatrics link under New Publication.The Data  Resource Center features an easy-to-use interactive data query that allows users to search, view and compare NSCH results at state, regional and national levels, stratified by selected demographic characteristics including age, race, household income, insurance type, and special health care needs status.  (February 2007)

Kaiser Health Disparities Report: A Weekly Look at Race, Ethnicity and Health
This free, weekly report from kaisernetwork.org and the Kaiser Family Foundation, synthesizes news coverage from hundreds of print and broadcast news sources related to health and health care issues that effect racial and ethnic communities. The report also highlights new studies and journal articles, initiatives, developments in the field, and upcoming events.

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.

REPORTS AND STUDIES

New Listings

New Listings: Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP

Expanding Medicaid Eligibility for Pregnant Women

(By Carol Brady of Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions)
This one-page report responds to these questions: Why is health care coverage important during pregnancy?How does Medicaid impact health care coverage for pregnant women? Why do we need to expand Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women? How can Florida expand coverage for pregnant women? Expanded eligibility would leverage federal funding for the uninsured, increasing access to prenatal care for at-risk women and matching SCHIP Medicaid eligibility for infants through age one. Expanding Medicaid coverage for uninsured women up to 200% of the federal poverty level would provide needed support to the working, uninsured families for whom pregnancy-related health care is a significant burden. 

VA has more drugs in formulary than Medicare D
“The VA actually has more drugs (4,778) on its formulary than are potentially covered under Medicare Part D (4,300—not all plans cover all these drugs). In addition, the VA covers nonformulary drugs prescribed according to evidence-based guidelines, bringing the total number of drugs dispensed by the VA to 6,194. By contrast, people with Medicare must navigate a complex appeals process to obtain coverage of nonformulary drugs. Part D plans deny 95 percent of appeals. The Institute of Medicine concluded in 2000 that the VA formulary is ‘not overly restrictive.’ This finding is supported by statistics that show the VA does a better [job] in using prescription drugs to control their patients’ diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension than private Medicare plans.”  (February 2007, Medicare Rights Center, Public Citizen and National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices )

Medicare Part D Plan Characteristics
This provides new state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options. It illustrates the number of stand-alone plans with coverage in the "doughnut hole," as well as the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries.

Medicaid Costs Are Growing More Slowly than Costs for Medicare or Private Insurance
Health care in the United States has become very expensive, and health care costs in the private and public sectors alike have been rising at a rapid clip. However, new data shows that Medicaid expenditures did not grow at all in fiscal year 2006 and are expected to grow only modestly in 2007.

Uninsured Children Are Eligible for the State Coverage
The decade-old State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has signed up close to 70 percent of its target population, a new Urban Institute report estimated, but 1.8 million eligible children nationwide are yet to be enrolled. Federal funding, about $5 billion this year, will have to increase substantially if these children are to join the approximately 3.9 million children now with SCHIP coverage. (2/9/07, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

Coverage Patterns Among SCHIP-Eligible Children and Their Parents
This brief uses the 2005 Current Population Survey to examine national patterns of coverage among families with SCHIP eligible children.  Key findings are that: close to 2 million uninsured children are eligible for SCHIP, the majority of SCHIP enrollees could not be enrolled in an employer plan that covers their parents, and almost 40% of SCHIP enrollees lives with an uninsured parent.  This implies that federal funding will have to be increased substantially to cover the remaining eligible but uninsured children and that many children stand to lose coverage altogether if federal funds are inadequate to meet existing program needs. (2/9/07, Urban Institute)

SCHIP Program Enrollment: June 2005 Update
tracks changes in enrollment in the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from June 2004 to June 2005. Economic improvements allowed many states to relax restrictions on enrollment, resulting in a net increase in enrollment nationwide. Some states that still have heavy restrictions continued to show large decreases in enrollment.

Election Survey Finds Broad Support for SCHIP
notes that more than eight in 10 voters favor increasing spending on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This summary outlines the results of the survey and describes the outcomes of other public opinion surveys about health coverage for children. (December 2006, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured)

New Listings: Federal Budget

President's Budget Would Cut Deeply into Important Public Services and Adversely Affect States
This new analysis finds that: The President’s budget would reduce funding for most parts of the domestic discretionary budget below the 2007 funding levels, adjusted for inflation. The cuts would start in 2008 and grow deeper in each of the four succeeding years; The proposed reductions would effectively shift billions of dollars in costs on to states, requiring them to scale back key public services or raise taxes to plug the holes left by the federal cuts; The reductions would come from a wide range of areas, including education, environmental protection, community development, and key supports for low-income families; At the same time, the budget would permanently extend virtually all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Extending the tax cuts would cost much more each year than all of the proposed discretionary program cuts would save. (2/21/07, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

The Administration Again Proposes To Shift Federal Medicaid Costs to States
The report examines proposed cuts to federal Medicaid funding in President Bush's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal and how reductions in federal funding would affect states. The report finds that to address funding cuts, states would have to reduce Medicaid benefits, eligibility or payments to providers; redistribute funding from other state programs to replace federal money; or increase taxes. The report also discusses the implications of such actions. (2/15/07, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Bush Administration Budget Revealed
The President’s FY 2008 budget was released.  It contains domestic discretionary program cuts which begin in 2008 grow to $114 billion by 2012, the five-year period covered in the budget.  At the same time, tax breaks for the wealthy are made permanent.  The President claims on paper to balance the budget by 2012.  He achieves this by excluding the real cost of the tax cuts and making unrealistic assumptions about revenues and economic growth. (2/16/06, Coalition on Human Needs Report)

The Bush Budget - Less Help for People in Need; Needless Help for Those with High Incomes (02/08/07, Coalition on Human Needs)

President's Budget Would Provide Less than Half the Funds States Need to Maintain SCHIP Enrollment
Under the President's budget, federal SCHIP funds would fall a total of $7 billion short of what will be needed to sustain states’ current programs. The likely result of this shortfall would be fewer individuals covered through SCHIP and more people who are uninsured. While the President’s budget for SCHIP reauthorization acknowledges the need for additional funding above the levels assumed in the budget baseline: it does not provide sufficient funding for states simply to sustain their existing programs; it erects fiscal incentives for states to cease providing SCHIP coverage to children with modest incomes and low-income parents; and it does not encourage states to continue making progress toward covering more uninsured children. (2/22/07, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)

States' SCHIP Enrollment and Spending Experiences and Considerations for Reauthorization
SCHIP enrollment increased rapidly during the program's early years, but has stabilized over the past several years...Many states adopted innovative outreach strategies and simplified and streamlined their enrollment processes in order to reach as many eligible children as possible...SCHIP spending was initially low, but now threatens to exceed available funding. (2/15/07, GAO Testimony)

Effect of Tying Eligibility for Health Insurance Subsidies to the Federal Poverty Level
Premiums for private health insurance coverage have doubled for families and increased by 86 percent for single coverage over the past decade, while the federal poverty level has increased only about 20 percent during the same period. (February 2007, Kaiser Family Foundation)

Medicaid Spending Sustainable
Fears that Medicaid spending is growing uncontrollably are unfounded and fundamental changes to the entitlement program could help eliminate interstate variations in benefits and help states cope with rising health costs, two studies find. (February 2007, Kaiser Family Foundation)

New Listings: Health Insurance, Health Costs

 
America's Health Care Bill To Double, Pass $4 Trillion by 2016

The cost of taking care of America's health is set to double over the next ten years to an annual bill of over 4 trillion dollars according to a new report by federal economics experts. This means that by the year 2016, nearly 20 cents of every dollar earned in the US economy will be spent on health care. The report puts the current spending on America's health at 2.1 trillion dollars per year (based on 2006 estimates). This represents 16 cents in every dollar earned in the US economy. However, the report's authors, comprising economists, actuaries and statisticians from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the two government schemes that foot most of the US health care bill, say the trend is going to rise again to an estimated 19.6 per cent of GDP by the year 2016. 21 (Feb 2007, Health Affairs)


Employers Expect 8% Increase In Health Care Costs This Year
Employer health care costs last year increased by 8%, and companies expect the same rate of growth this year and in 2008, according to a new survey reporting responses from 573 employers with at least 1,000 employees. According to the survey, more employers said they have begun to offer programs to help employees maintain healthy lifestyles in an effort to reduce health care costs. The survey found that 72% of respondents said they offer employees health risk evaluations, compared with 66% last year. In addition, the survey found that 23% of respondents said they offer onsite health clinics and that 14% of respondents said they offer onsite pharmacies. (2/22/07, AP)

 

The Uninsured and the Affordability of Health Insurance Coverage
indicates that more than half of the nation's uninsured are ineligible for public programs and do not have enough resources to purchase coverage themselves. Childless adults made up the largest block of those who are uninsured and ineligible for public coverage, which the study attributes to a lack of eligibility for public programs such as Medicaid. (Jan/Feb 2007, Health Affairs)


Uninsured in America: Problems and Possible Solutions
The United States is the only major industrialised nation without universal health insurance, and coverage has deteriorated in the past six years. The consequences are increasingly well known: inequities in access to care, avoidable mortality and poor quality care, financial burdens on people who are uninsured or underinsured, and lost economic productivity. The US spends twice as much on health care as the median industrialised nation but does not systematically achieve the best quality care. What are the prospects for reform? (2/17/07, BMJ)


Insurance Premium Cost-Sharing and Coverage Too Expensive

One of the many reasons an individual may be uninsured is that she or he decides an employer's offer of health insurance is too expensive. Several studies have noted the likelihood that a worker will decline an employer's offer of health insurance increases with the amount he or she is required to contribute. Alternatively, employees may obtain coverage through a spouse, opt for publicly provided coverage if eligible, or decide to do without coverage entirely. (February 2007, KFF Issue Brief) 

 

 New Listings: Health Equity Issues 

 
What Did the Doctor Say?:' Improving Health Literacy to Protect Patient Safety
Far too often, ordinary citizens are placed at risk for unsafe care because important health care information is communicated using medical jargon and unclear language that exceed their literacy skills. This paper frames the existing communications gap between patients and caregivers as a series of challenges involving literacy, language, and culture, and suggests multiple steps that need to be taken to narrow or even close this gap. (2/7/07, Joint Commission)
 

Contraceptive Use and the Poor: A Matter of Choice?
From the "Health for All" declaration made at Alma Alta in 1978 to the recently created Commission on Social

Determinants of Health, a recurrent theme is health equity, whereby all segments of society should have equal access to and reap the benefits of health-enhancing interventions. Since 1978, a substantial literature has addressed health equity, much of it relating to the gap between the high rhetorical priority given health equity and its programmatic neglect. Contrastingly, much less has been written about equity in family planning...[This] article...goes a long way toward filling this imbalance in attention. (2/6/07, PLoS Medicine)


New Report Shows Decline in Stillbirths; Racial Disparities Persist
The rate of fetal deaths, also known as stillbirths, occurring at 20 weeks of gestation or more declined substantially between 1990 and 2003, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although fetal mortality rates declined among all racial and ethnic groups from 1990-2003, the fetal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was more than double that of non-Hispanic white women (11.56 per 1,000 vs. 4.94 per 1,000). (2/21/07, CDC)

 

New Listings: Other Health Issues
 
Nearly Half Of U.S. Adults Do Not Trust President Bush To Improve Health Care System
Almost half of U.S. adults do not trust President Bush to improve the health care system, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll, the Wall Street Journal reports. The online poll, conducted between Feb. 7 and 9, asked about the degree to which they trust Bush to develop policies to improve the health care system, 49% of respondents said "not at all," and 16% said "not much," the poll found. About 18% of respondents said they trust Bush "to some extent" to develop policies to improve the health care system, and 9% said they trust him "a great deal," according to the poll. The poll also found that half of respondents trust Democrats "a great deal" or "to some extent" to develop policies to improve the health care system, compared with 28% who said they trust Republicans to the same degree (2/21/07, Wall Street Journal) 

Florida Reports 

 

Florida Children’s Action Agenda 2007/2008 Available Online
Florida state Senators Nan Rich and Durell Peaden and Representatives Loranne Ausley and J.C. Planas have released the final recommendations of the 2006 Florida Children’s Summit.  The Summit participants learned a lot, and the next Summit in Fall 2008 will reflect that.  In 2008 they will spend substantially more time in workshops hashing out recommendations and will secure experienced workshop facilitators who are knowledgeable about the topics they are facilitating.  Also, they will institute a process to ensure that when leaving the 2008 Summit - or very shortly thereafter - all will know the Summit recommendations. 

 

Miami-Dade and Monroe County 2006 Health Profiles
Health Council of South Florida has released downloadable Health Profiles that provide answers to 10 commonly asked questions about county demographics, health needs, and resources.

 

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

 

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)

 

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.

 

Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP

The State Children's Health Insurance Program: Past, Present, and Future
At the end of the 2007 fiscal year, congressional authorization for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is set to expire. For SCHIP, the reauthorization process--historically a chance to review, refine, and revamp programs--will take place at a time when the uninsured rate for children is once again on the rise. This new report examines the array of policy options that Congress is likely to consider for SCHIP, a program widely hailed for assisting children whose families have too much income to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance. In addition to reviewing the program's history, goals, and performance, it describes how eligibility, benefits, and financing might be modified during reauthorization; it also discusses the policy and political implications of change.

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)

Triple Jeopardy for Vulnerable Children: Greater Health Needs, Less Access, Poorer Primary Care
Key findings included: Eligible children are more likely to be insured in states in which the State Children’s Health Insurance Program is an expansion of Medicaid; Many parents do not understand SCHIP, and non-English speakers are less likely to enroll their children; Insurance is necessary, but not sufficient. For insurance to have a beneficial effect, children must also have a regular provider and receive care when they need it; Children with the greatest health care needs have the greatest difficulty in obtaining primary care. (December 2006, RAND Corporation)

New Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Requirement is Taking a Toll: States Report Enrollment Is Down and Administrative Costs Are Up
A new federal law that states were required to implement July 1 is creating a barrier to health-care coverage for U.S. citizens — especially children — who are eligible for health insurance through Medicaid.  The new law, a provision of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, requires U.S. citizens to present proof of their citizenship and identity when they apply for, or seek to renew, their Medicaid coverage.  Prior to enactment of the law, U.S. citizens applying for Medicaid were permitted to attest to their citizenship, under penalty of perjury.  In the six months following implementation of the new requirement, states are beginning to report marked declines in Medicaid enrollment, particularly among low-income children.  States also are reporting significant increases in administrative costs as a consequence of the requirement. (2/2/07, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Enhancing Value in Medicare: Demonstrations and Other Initiatives to Improve the Program
Medicare is undertaking a number of demonstrations aimed at improving the quality and coordination of services provided to its beneficiaries. With pressure mounting to improve quality of care while controlling spending growth, learning as much as we can from the successes and failures of these initiatives will be critical to Medicare's future. This new report p examines Medicare's efforts to play a more active role in ensuring that it purchases appropriate, high-quality, and efficient health care for its beneficiaries.  (Jan 2007, Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System)

Medicare Drug Plan Costs Vary By State, Even Under Lowest-Cost Plans
Prescription drug plan costs can vary by thousands of dollars for seniors in different states, even under the lowest-cost Medicare drug plan available, according to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Critics said the findings were based on old data and that widely acknowledged problems reflected in that data have been fixed. (1/22/07, CQ HealthBeat) 

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)
Federal Budget/Health Care
 

The Bush Budget: Less Help for People in Need; Needless Help for Those with High Incomes
"The minimum Americans should require of any new budget proposal is that it makes progress in meeting urgent needs.  But this budget goes backwards - denying health insurance to children, and failing to provide Food Stamps and child care aid to hundreds of thousands of working families.  The most vulnerable are this budget's primary targets:  children, the sick, and the elderly will lose health care, home energy, nutrition assistance, and more."  (2/8/07, Coalition on Human Needs)


President's Budget Calls for Deep Cuts in Domestic Programs: Cuts Start in 2008 and Grow Deeper Over Time
This new analysis -- based on information the Administration has provided to Congress but has not made readily available to the public -- finds that the new budget would make large cuts in key domestic priorities between 2008 and 2012.  Some examples of the health cuts are: The part of the budget that includes ommunity health centers, domestic HIV/AIDS programs, and maternal and child health would be cut by $4 illion over five years; Funding for hospital and medical care for veterans would be increased next year but cut in each of the four years after that. (2/8/07, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
 
 
There is No General "Entitlement Crisis"   
This report finds that in coming decades, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will grow rapidly, but other entitlements will shrink as a share of the economy. (1/29/07,Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) 

Health Insurance, Health Costs

 

The Economic Costs of Poverty in the United States: Subsequent Effects of Children Growing Up Poor
This report found that the costs of children growing up poor to the U.S. economy are approximately $500 illion a year, or nearly 4 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  These costs occur because of reduced productivity, higher costs of crime, and increased health costs.  The report suggests that, while programs to reduce poverty have costs, doing nothing to alleviate poverty is expensive.  Investing taxpayer dollars to lift children out of poverty is the right thing to do for many reasons, and economic growth is one of them.  (Jan 007, Center for American Progress)


Children Left Behind: How Metropolitan Areas Are Failing America's Children
Across American, black and Hispanic children face particularly sever challenges, especially compared to white and Asian children.  Not only do black and Hispanic children live in families that experience many disadvantages, but disparities among individuals and families are exacerbated by vast inequalities in neighborhood and should environments...Yet the very conditions that contribute to these inequalities suggest some possible policy solutions. (Jan 2007, diversitydata.org)

 

Cumulative Social Disadvantage and Child Health
The accumulation of social disadvantage among children was strongly associated with poorer child health and having insurance did not reduce the observed health disparities. (Pediatrics, vol 117, No. 4)

 

State Strategies to Expand Health Insurance Coverage: Trends and Lessons for Policymakers
Our employer-based health insurance system is crumbling—with the result that there are more uninsured people with less access to needed health services. In 2005, the number of uninsured climbed to 47 million, the result of a steady increase since 2000. Even more disturbing are the present trends that show the number of uninsured could reach 56 million by 2013. Many state policy leaders, frustrated by the lack of federal action on the problem of the uninsured, have taken matters into their own hands, and the result is a trend toward health care reform at the state level. The latest round of state reforms, most of them enacted or proposed in 2006, presents a variety of approaches to covering the uninsured. (2/7/07, Commonwealth Foundation)

 

How Higher Premiums Lead More Workers to Opt Out of Employer Health Coverage
As policy discussions to expand coverage for the uninsured consider what is affordable for low-income and moderate-income people, a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation documents how workers are less likely to sign up for health insurance from their employer when they must pay a larger share of its cost. The results suggest that many workers will forego their employer's coverage and could end up without any health insurance if required to pay too much of its cost. (2/7/07, Kaiser Family Foundation)


Study Urges End to 'Archaic' Principle of Cost-Sharing
One of the premises behind "consumer-driven health care" is that overall health costs won't rise as quickly if patients are prodded to shop for better value by requiring them to pay a significant share of their medical expenses. But what if the way benefits are designed fails to steer them to the products and services that offer the best value? Fixing that problem is the key that will help unlock the savings potential of consumer-driven health care. (1/30/07, CQ HealthBeat)

Borrowing to Stay Healthy
Report documents how low and middle income households are turning to credit cards to pay for medical care...While uninsured respondents had the highest levels of credit care debt, even respondents with health insurance were not shielded from the medical debt problem.  These findings, combined with the industry trend of increasing deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs, call into question whether it is prudent to rely on borrowing as a method to pay for needed health care. (January 2007, The Access Project)

Health Care Spending: An Encouraging Sign?
A federal report on national health care spending in 2005 indicates that spending slowed for a third straight year and, as a percentage of gross domestic product, held nearly constant from 2004 to 2005. Though the news is encouraging, spending growth in 2005—6.9 percent—continued to outpace inflation and growth in wages for the average U.S. worker. Clearly, rising health care costs continue to be a major concern. The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System has stated that the nation must strive to achieve greater value while simultaneously decreasing the rate of growth of health spending. Among the steps that could achieve these goals are: increasing transparency and public reporting of cost and quality information, rewarding quality and efficiency, and expanding the use of information technology and systems of health information exchange. (January 2007, Commonwealth Fund)

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) 

 

Slowing the Growth of U.S. Health Care Expenditures: What Are the Options?
This new report illuminates the factors contributing to high expenditures and examines strategies that have the potential to produce savings, slow spending growth, and improve health system performance. (Jan 2007, Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System)

  

Health Equity Issues

 

2007 Federal Poverty Guidelines Now Available
The Southern Institute on Children and Families has made available the 2007 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Compiled from the 2007 HHS Poverty Guidelines, these guidelines provide income levels for families at 50%, 100%, 125%, 133%, 150%, 185% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Information is provided for the continental United States and separately for Alaska and Hawaii.


Poverty in America: Economic Research Shows Adverse Impacts on Health Status and Other Social Conditions as well as the Economic Growth Rate

This new GAO report includes research connecting poorer health, crime, and low educational attainment, and hat all of these are associated with reduced economic growth. (Jan 2007, GAO)

Poor of All Races Found Less Active Than the Affluent
Social class -- education, income and employment -- has more influence on whether people are physically ctive or not than racial or ethnic background, new research has found. National studies repeatedly have hown blacks and Hispanics tending to be less active in their leisure time than whites. (1/23/07, Indystar)

 
Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity and Medical Care, 2007 Update

This updated quick reference source on health disparities presents the best available data and analysis, ncluding data on the uninsured and access to care by race/ethnicity as well as information about the isproportionate effect that specific conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and asthma have on racial and thnic minority populations in the U.S. New in the 2007 Key Facts are demographic data on the racial/ethnic minority population in each state and the U.S. territories. This edition of Key Facts also includes data from the National Healthcare Disparities Report, examining changes in health care disparities over time.  (Jan 2007,

Kaiser Family Foundation)

 
Enhancing Public Hospitals' Reporting of Data on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
Emerging evidence indicates that targeted efforts to measure and improve the quality of health care may be ble to reduce, or even eliminate, disparities while improving care for all patients. Researchers assessed whether safety net hospitals treating large minority populations can use measures adopted by the Hospital uality Alliance to collect quality data by patients' race and ethnicity. (Jan 2007, Commonwealth Fund)

 

National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2006
The 2006 NHDR uses the same measures of quality as its companion National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) to monitor the Nation's annual progress toward eliminating disparities in health care. Racial/ethnic group comparison focus on 22 core measures of quality and 6 core measures of access that support reliable estimates for Whites, Blacks, Asians, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Hispanics; income group comparisons highlight 17 core quality measures and 6 core access measures.


Providing Language Services in State and Local Health-Related Benefits Offices: Examples from the Field
This report outlines an eight-step approach to helping benefits offices develop language strategies tailored to their clients' specific needs. (January 2007, Commonwealth Fund)

 

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.

 

Other Health Issues 

 

The ninth Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey highlighted the perspectives of a diverse group of experts on what the health care priorities for the 110th Congress should be. The survey found that covering the uninsured is at the top of the list, with 88 percent of respondents saying that covering the uninsured is "absolutely essential" or "very important." Other top priorities include controlling rising health care costs, reforming Medicare to ensure long-term solvency, and increasing the use of information technology to improve the quality and safety of patient care. Opinion leaders' responses closely align with the principles laid out by the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System, creating a compelling case for change. (January 2007, Commonwealth Fund)

 

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)
Return to Top
STATE HEALTH EVENTS AND NOTICES

February 28, 2007

NORTH FLORIDA  

 

Call To Action/CHAIN Days: Join Florida CHAIN

March 21-23   Tallahassee
Florida CHAIN and HSC will make their annual trip to the state capitol from  to advocate for improved access to, and funding for, health care, including KidCare, Medicaid and more. You'll be trained on these issues, and learn how to frame your message so legislators listen, learn and act on your behalf. 

 

Florida Coalition for Optimal Mental Health and Aging Annual Conference: Elder Behavioral Healthcare Issues
March 22-23   Jacksonville

The 2007 Florida Coalition for Optimal Mental Health & Aging Annual Conference, “Come Together: Collaborating for Success,” offers the latest in policy and practice related to elder behavioral healthcare issues. The conference will focus on the behavioral health care needs of older Floridians and their families, including information on innovative clinical and program interventions, new state initiatives, and demonstrated best practices related to aging, mental health and substance abuse issues. Attendees will be provided opportunities to improve conceptualization and treatment skills with older adults through various workshops and sessions.

 

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

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.  

WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA 

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.

 

2007 Summer Conference on Florida's Young Children
Presentation Proposals Due: April 2
Event: July 18-20   Tampa
The One Goal: Building the Future Together "Putting Families and Children First" Conference brings together early education and care providers and leaders from around the state.  It is designed to share innovative programs, practices and techniques for improving services and outcomes for all Florida’s children.” The previous conference “Providing Childcare For Children With Disabilities And Special Health Care Needs” coordinated by the Florida Inclusion Advisory Council is now fully integrated with this event. Registration fee $45,  waived for  primary presenter. Cosponsors include health organizations. 850/893-6270, frankieallen_2000@yahoo.com.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
 
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

  

Events

 

Información Sobre la Salud en la Internet
Marzo 1    7:00 pm    Biblioteca de Júpiter, 705 Military Trail, Júpiter 
¿Desea encontrar información sobre la salud en español en la que usted pueda confiar? Aprenda como usar la Internet y los recursos que la biblioteca le ofrece para encontrar información sobre medicamentos, condiciones médicas, términos médicos y más. Gratis. 561/744-2301

 

Medical Ethics: Doing the Right Thing

March 2  8:30 am-3:30 pm   Broward General Medical Center 
Presented by Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Program and Clinical Education in collaboration with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. RSVP to Psullivan@nbhd.org or call 954/786-6736.

 

Hispanic Adults Leukemia & Lymphoma Discussion Group
March 7  evening   Fort Lauderdale
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is sponsoring a discussion group aimed to improve programs and services available for Hispanic adults that have been diagnosed with these types of cancers in the bloodstream. Those that qualify and participate in this group will receive a $100 cash incentive for their participation.  If you are interested in participating or can refer someone else who may be interested in participating, please call 954/771-7725.

 

Información Sobre la Salud en la Internet
Marzo 8   6:00 pm   Biblioteca Principal del Condado de Palm Beach, 3650 Summit Blvd, West Palm Beach
¿Desea encontrar información sobre la salud en español en la que usted pueda confiar? Aprenda como usar la Internet y los recursos que la biblioteca le ofrece para encontrar información sobre medicamentos, condiciones médicas, términos médicos y más. Gratis. 561/233-2600

 

Call To Action/CHAIN Days: Join Florida CHAIN

Training: March 14th from 6-8 PM at Human Services Coalition of Dade County
Tallahasee: March 21st - 23rd
Florida CHAIN and HSC will make their annual trip to the state capitol from  to advocate for improved access to, and funding for, health care, including KidCare, Medicaid and more. You'll be trained on these issues, and learn how to frame your message so legislators listen, learn and act on your behalf. Call Asha at 305-576-5001x42

 

Información Sobre la Salud en la Internet
Marzo 10  10:00 am   Biblioteca de Greenacres, 3750 Jog Rd, Greenacres
Información Sobre la Salud en la Internet. ¿Desea encontrar información sobre la salud en español en la que usted pueda confiar? Aprenda como usar la Internet y los recursos que la biblioteca le ofrece para encontrar información sobre medicamentos, condiciones médicas, términos médicos y más.  Gratis. 561/641-9100


Pap Corps Seventh Annual Walkathon/Health Fair
March 10  8:30 am-12:30 pm  UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, 1192 East Newport Center Drive
The Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research hopes that this event will help meet and exceed its pledge to raise $14 million over a five-year period ending in June 2007. All monies raised fund vital cancer research at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Participants will enjoy a brisk walk through Newport Center, where UM/Sylvester is located, attend a health fair, and support cancer research – all in one day. Approximately 2,000 walkers from Jupiter to Miami are expected. The entrance fee of $15 includes light breakfast, water, and T-shirt. The free health fair begins at 9 am including blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, oxygen saturation, and skin cancer screenings. There will also be health informational booths on cancer prevention and related topics, arthritis, nutrition, and diagnostic imaging services. 954/571-0107, jleahy@miami.edu

 

Joining Hands: Engaging Families

March 19    Palm Beach County Conv. Center, WPB

Palm Beach County Coalition for Children's bi-annual conference provides opportunities to learn and to earn CEU's and in-service points. Brochure and workshop summaries are available on-line.

 

Building Our Future 7th Annual Infant Mental Health Conference
Registration deadline: April 30

May 17-18    Bahia Mar Beach Resort and Yachting Center, Ft. Lauderdale
Pre-Conference Institutes: May 16

This annual conference features the latest research and best practices in infant mental health. National experts will provide cutting-edge knowledge in prevention and treatment for young children exposed to stress and trauma. Local communities will showcase implementation of Florida's Strategic Plan toward creating a birth-to-five mental health system. The event will bring together early educators and caregivers, physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, college professors, law enforcement personnel, social workers, therapists from many different disciplines, child advocates, psychologists, program administrators, and policy makers who are in a position to implement a mental health strategic  plan in Florida and in other states or countries.  For more information contact 305/592-3638 or lzeefe@mdahec.org.

 

Unity Festival   
March 21-22 10:30 am-3:30 pm  PBCC Campus in Boca Raton
There will be charities and activist organizations, health awareness including free AIDS testing and mammograms, music, speeches, and much more. 561/862-4327, sullivjc@pbcc.edu

 

Información Sobre la Salud en la Internet
Marzo 22  6:00 pm   Biblioteca de West Boynton, 9451 Jog Rd, Boynton Beach
¿Desea encontrar información sobre la salud en español en la que usted pueda confiar? Aprenda como usar la Internet y los recursos que la biblioteca le ofrece para encontrar información sobre medicamentos, condiciones médicas, términos médicos y más.  Gratis.  561/734-5556

 

Notices

 
Human Services Coalition of Miami-Dade needs your help identifying healthcare access barriers in Miami-Dade County. If you're concerned about the state of healthcare in your community, please take a moment and fill out this survey.

FLORIDA AUDIO CONFERENCES AND WEBCASTS

Women's Health Audio Conference
March 5   11:30 am-12:30 pm 
The Infant, Maternal, and Reproductive Health Unit (Florida Dept of Health) is hosting this sixth statewide audio conference in the series on best practices in women's health services. Phone Number:  1-888-808-6959 Conference Code:  6772513.  Guest presenters from three county health departments and the state health office will talk about current local initiatives geared toward helping woman achieve and maintain positive health behaviors and healthy weight.  They will discuss the CityMatCH Action Learning Collaborative that was awarded to Florida, which will utilize information from these programs to pilot a curriculum geared toward post- partum women. For more information, contact Cheryl_Robbins@doh.state.fl.us  or 850/245-4444, ext. 2980.

STATEWIDE NOTICES

Florida Children’s Action Agenda 2007/2008 Available Online
Florida state Senators Nan Rich and Durell Peaden and Representatives Loranne Ausley and J.C. Planas have released the final recommendations of the 2006 Florida Children’s Summit.  The Summit participants learned a lot, and the next Summit in Fall 2008 will reflect that.  In 2008 they will spend substantially more time in workshops hashing out recommendations and will secure experienced workshop facilitators who are knowledgeable about the topics they are facilitating.  Also, they will institute a process to ensure that when leaving the 2008 Summit - or very shortly thereafter - all will know the Summit recommendations. 

ALERT on Stopping Deadly MRSA Infections in Hospitals
Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, urges you to tell your governor to make stopping methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in hospitals a priority. MRSA is  a deadly “super bug,” antibiotic-resistant, and often incurable infection. An estimated 17,000 people die each year from MRSA. Hospital patients with MRSA are four times as likely to die, will stay far longer in the hospital, and will pay far more. Hospitals can do more to stop this “super bug” by prioritizing infection prevention. Your governor can give them strong incentives to improve. In the last two years: 42 states have considered bills, 16 states have passed hospital infection public reporting laws, and now we need to focus on MRSA.

Return to Top
NATIONAL EVENTS AND NOTICES

February 28, 2007

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

 

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. Ron Pollack, Founding Executive Director of Families USA, the major national consumer advocacy group in support of expanded health care coverage, will be delivering the closing keynote address on March 9.  

 

SOPHE 58th Annual Meeting - Partnerships to Achieve Health Equity  
Abstracts deadline: March 15
Oct 31–Nov 3   Alexandria, VA
Abstracts are now being accepted online for workshops, symposia, oral presentations, and posters for Society for Public Health Education's 58th Annual Meeting. SOPHE is pleased to be partnering with CDC's Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program and Eta Sigma Gamma for its 40th Annual Meeting.  Sub-themes include health systems change; social determinants of health and transdisciplinary approaches to health education; health communications, health literacy and technology; cultural competence in bridging differences, and; evaluation and dissemination of evidence-based approaches. For more information, contact lvillejo@mdanderson.org

 

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health 10th Summer Service-Learning Institute

Application deadline: March 15
July 20-23 Cascade Mountains of Wash. State
Service-learning is a structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Students engaged in service-learning provide community service in response to community-identified concerns and learn about the context in which service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and their civic roles. The institute is taught by national experts in service-learning, including health professional faculty and community leaders who have developed successful service-learning partnerships.  
 

Crossroads II: Community-Based Collaborative Research for Social Justice
Call for proposals deadline: March 15
June 7-9   Hartford, CT
The Institute for Community Research (ICR) is convening its 2nd international conference on community-based collaborative research (CBCR), focusing on the promise, pitfalls, and "best practices" of CBCR to address disparities and inequities in the arenas of health, education, artistic and cultural representation, development, and the environment.

 

NICHQ 6th Annual Forum for Improving Children's Health Care

March 19-21  San Francisco

This year's National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality Annual Forum features more than 30 workshop sessions, two scientific sessions, 50 storyboards showcasing improvement, and seven pre-conference "exploratoriums." The exploratoriums include "The Essential Role of Self-Assessment in Achieving Cultural and Linguistic Competence: Tools and Processes for Health Care Providers and Organizations" and "Transforming Well-Child Care for the 21st Century."

 

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.

 

Community Benefit 101: the Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit

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.

 

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.  

 

Institute for Public Health & Faith Collaborations
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.

 

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. 

 

7th Annual Diversity Challenge at Boston College: Race and Culture Intersections in Scientific Research and Mental Health Service Delivery for Children, Adolescents, and Families
Proposal submission deadline: April 21
October 2007
Presentations should focus on developments in research, professional practice, education or social justice initiatives as they pertain to promoting the mental health and redressing the mental health disparities for racial and ethnic minority children, adolescents, and families. Researchers, practitioners, educators, medical service providers, employee assistance personnel, government agencies, spiritual healers, and providers of community services are encouraged to submit proposals. 

 

Improving Quality of Care
April 23-24   Washington, DC
The 4th Annual Leadership Summit on Health Disparities will assemble clinicians, members of congress, patient advocacy groups, government healthcare experts, and community activists to bring focus and to seek solutions to healthcare disparities.  The summit consists of accredited clinical sessions, community, and policy sessions:  Focus is CVD, diabetes, infectious and respiratory disease, renal disease, cancer and mental illness. 

 

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. 

 

2007 NNPHI Annual Conference
May 21-23   New Orleans
The National Network of Public Health Institutes hosts an annual educational conference for its members and leaders from federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and academia.

 

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. 

 

Race and Class Inequalities in Health
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.  

 

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.

 

Health Equity and Environmental Public Health - From Local to Global
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. 

 

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.

 

Women of Color: Addressing Disparities, Affirming Resilience, and Developing Strategies for Success -- Minority Women's Health Summit
August 23-26   Washington DC  

 

AUDIO AND WEB EVENTS 

LIVE Webcast - Is the U.S. Making Progress in Reducing Disparities in Healthcare Access and Quality?
March 2  1:00 pm EST
Kaiser Family Foundation will launch this new series of live, interactive webcasts entitled "Today's Topics in Health Disparities," which will be devoted to addressing a range of issues relating to health and health care disparities in the US. Each discussion will feature a panel of experts tackling current issues in health disparities and answering questions from webcast viewers.

 

Medicare Home Health Care
March 8  1:00-2:30 pm EST
This free educational web seminar presented by the Medicare Rights Center unfolds the home health care benefit—what services Medicare covers, how often and for how long.

NOTICES
 

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

 

Free Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 Planning Materials Available
Start planning and promoting activities now—with help from newly updated planning guides! This year, Cover the Uninsured Week comes at a critical juncture in the health coverage debate: After 10 years, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is up for reauthorization in Congress. Our nation's leaders have the opportunity to provide funding to cover the children currently enrolled in SCHIP and expand the program to cover millions more children in need of health coverage. As a result, Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 will focus on the importance of children's health coverage and the success of SCHIP. To help you promote the importance and availability of SCHIP, these guides are now available:   Health and Enrollment Fair Planning; Working with the Media; Editorial Placement; Campus Event Planning. Additional Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 materials will be posted in the coming weeks. Let's get America's kids covered!

 

Health Care for America
The Economic Policy Institute has released a progressive Health Care for America plan, a proposal for guaranteed, affordable health care for all Americans building on Medicare and employment-based insurance.  Institute for America has announced a nationwide effort to discuss and debate how to get good health care coverage for all Americans while controlling spiraling health care costs.  The Institute is collaborating with the Medicare Rights Center and a network of citizen action groups to foster public forums and internet discussion groups designed to create a groundswell of public support for action on health care for all.  Many of these groups were active in the successful grassroots movement to stop President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Others are working to pass innovative state health care coverage plans.

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
Powered by image