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Medicaid Reform
Choice Counseling
FL CHAIN Position Statement
Broward Medicaid Roundtables
KidCare and SCHIP
Federal KidCare
Eligibility Errors
Consumers for FL Health Care Boards
Citizens Work Group Recommendations
Choice Counselors Face New Standards, But Are They Sufficient?
Individuals who want to work as a Medicaid telephone counselor will face tougher standards under new state guidelines.
The Agency for Health Care Administration is requiring that “choice counselors” score at least an 80 percent on their written and oral exams for employment.
Choice counselors respond to calls to the Medicaid Reform hotline from Broward and Duval consumers who are required to enroll in new health care plans. The two counties are the test sites for Gov. Jeb Bush’s Medicaid Reform effort, in which managed care plans form their own network of hospitals, physicians and other providers to care for Medicaid consumers. The state pays the premiums of each person enrolled in the plan.
Since enrollment began July 24, AHCA officials state that about 86 percent of consumers sign up for their plans by calling the hotline. As consumers make important decisions about their health care coverage, it’s imperative that choice counselors give them accurate information.
Is an 80 percent passing grade adequate?
Under AHCA guidelines, choice counselors who don’t reach a score of 80 percent on their exams will have a second chance to take the exam and become certified.
If candidates score between 70-79 on either exam, they will be considered a choice counseling “associate,” but must retake the exam and receive a passing score within 30 days.
A potential choice counselor must score at least a 50 percent on the written and/or oral exam to be eligible to retake that portion of the certification program.
Choice counselors are hired and managed by Texas-based ACS through a two-year, $12 million contract with AHCA. Currently, ACS has 9 field choice counselors in Broward, 6 in Duval and has hired an additional 13 to help staff the call center in Tallahassee for a total of 56.
In addition, the agency is considering the possibility of hiring staff at community-based organizations such as clinics and assisted living facilities to serve as certified choice counselors. The idea is to place choice counselors in locations that are frequented by Medicaid consumers in an effort to enroll them in health plans.
But the agency has several issues to resolve such as making sure these choice counselors are following proper protocol. It’s not clear yet whether these community-based choice counselors would be paid the same as their ACS counterparts – if they are paid at all.
The agency hopes to move forward on this step by January.
Medicaid Reform Position Statement
Florida CHAIN works to ensure a Florida Medicaid reform system that is: accessible, high quality, cost effective, accountable and person centered as it is legislated and implemented in Florida.
Medicaid Roundtables Funded by Community Foundation of Broward
Florida CHAIN, in conjunction with the Coordinating Council of Broward, has received a grant from the Community Foundation of Broward to host a series of discussions with Medicaid beneficiaries in Broward county affected by recent changes to Florida's Medicaid program.
The Medicaid Roundtables project establishes an opportunity for consumers to provide feedback on how the new policies are affecting them and provides the state with constructive ways to improve the program as it is implemented. The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and ACS, the company hired to implement choice counseling, was invited to participate in the Medicaid Roundtables and hear directly from beneficiaries but declined the opportunity.
If you know of MediPass beneficiaries who have already received notice of Medicaid reform, please call Florida CHAIN at 954/791-7314.
Proposed SCHIP Reduction Threatens KidCare
Insurance offered to children under Florida’s KidCare program is made possible in part from federal funding under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. It was created by Congress in 1997 to assist states in providing health care coverage for children whose families made too much money to qualify for Medicaid.
Nationally, 4 million children are covered under SCHIP programs.
Federal funding for this programs faces reauthorization next year. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 17 states will experience a reduction of $800 million, which is the equivalent of 430,000 children losing coverage.
We cannot let this happen.
Even if Congress freezes SCHIP funding at the current level of $5.04 billion, the current state of the program will worsen.
After 10 years, there is still much more work to be done. In Florida, 17 percent of children are uninsured, and the vast majority (88 percent) are children of working parents, according to the Campaign for Children’s Health.
Children who are uninsured are very likely to have unmet medical needs that can lead to chronic health problems and difficulties at school.
Please contact U.S. Senators Martinez and Nelson, and your member of Congress, and ask them to fully fund SCHIP – and not freeze the funding – so that children who need health insurance can obtain it.
Look for additional information and alerts from Florida CHAIN on this critical topic.
Healthy Kids Audit Finds Eligibility Errors
A state audit shows that the Florida Healthy Kids insurance plan is falling short when it comes to determining whether children are eligible for coverage.
In a review of 202 children earlier this year, the Florida Auditor General’s office discovered these and other “deficiencies” with eligibility:
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in 44 cases, the family’s income was incorrectly recorded, and the errors resulted in some children enrolling in the wrong plan or being ineligible for benefits;
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in 12 cases, the family household size was incorrectly registered in a state computer system, which could have made those children ineligible for coverage;
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six children were receiving benefits although they were ineligible, and their applications and income documents were unavailable;
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nine children whose insurance premiums were state subsidized should have been full-pay.
These findings were primarily linked to a third-party administrator hired by Florida Healthy Kids. The organization’s executive director Rose Naff acknowledged the findings, and in a Sept. 22 letter, wrote that they have taken several measures to address the findings, which include fining the third-party administrator.
“As a result, our eligibility processing error rate has improved by nearly 67 percent,’’ Naff wrote.
The audit report is a follow-up to a similar audit in December 2005 that showed “significant findings related to eligibility determinations,’’ according to the new report. It adds, “While some improvements were noted since the previous audit, additional efforts to reduce errors in eligibility determinations are needed.”
Both audit reports can be found at:
The September figures for KidCare enrollment (not including Medicaid) is about 198,000, far less than the 324,000 of two years ago.
With this new audit showing that some of those 198,000 may be ineligible, child advocates claim that 600,000 Florida children could qualify for state-subsidized health insurance. Funding for outreach and marketing for KidCare was cut by the Legislature earlier this year.
Healthy Kids serves school-age children whose families make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, which covers low-income families. Both of those programs -- along with MediKids and Children’s Medical Services for medically complex children – make up the state’s KidCare health insurance program umbrella.
All four operate independently. A Senate committee is looking into ways to streamline the process in which children enroll in the KidCare program. A report to the Legislature is expected later this year.
Consumers Needed for Florida Health Care Boards
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) is seeking applications from individuals interesting in serving as consumer members for various health care boards that regulate health care practitioners. Consumer members are not required to be formally trained or employed in the area regulated by the particular board – for example, a teacher can serve on the Board of Pharmacy. Consumer members help set policy, license practitioners, and preside over disciplinary actions.
Most boards meet quarterly, usually a one to two-day meeting in various locations throughout the state. They meet through teleconferencing or other technological means as often as necessary. Depending on location, members either fly or drive to meetings. Members are non-paid volunteers; however, the state reimburses travel expenses, and members receive $50 per day for each day in attendance. Appointments are made by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.
Persons interested in an appointment to any regulatory board may obtain a gubernatorial questionnaire from the Governor’s Executive Office at www.myflorida.com. Choose the Governor’s Webpage link and click on “The Bush Team.” Next, click on “Join the Bush Team”, then “2006 Board and Commission Vacancies,” and then “Gubernatorial Appointments Questionnaire.” To apply for membership by phone, request a gubernatorial questionnaire from the Governor’s Appointments Office at 850/488-2183.
Health Care Recommendations Sent to President Bush
Over the next six weeks, President Bush is expected to review recommendations from a federally appointed panel calling for affordable health insurance available for all Americans.
The 14-member Citizens' Health Care Working Group recommends a universal health care system by 2012. The panel was created by Congress three years ago and solicited comments from 7,000 people at 98 community meetings in 37 states, according to the New York Times.
Although the panel did not name specific ways to finance the system, it reported that consumers were “willing to pay more to ensure that all Americans are covered,’’ according to the New York Times.
Under the law, President Bush has 45 days to comment and offer a report to Congress, where five committees are supposed to hold hearings. Click here to read more about the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group recommendations.
Meanwhile, candidates running for the Florida governor’s seat have little to say about health care coverage for all. Neither GOP candidate Charlie Crist nor Democratic candidate Jim Davis has highlighted the issue on the campaign trail.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that, according to political experts universal health care coverage is unlikely under either candidate. “Wisconsin and some other states have been deliberating bipartisan plans for providing such insurance through payroll taxes,’’ according to the Sun-Sentinel article Sept. 29.
The article quotes state Rep. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), an attorney and member of Crist's campaign health advisory panel, who says the next governor’s goal should be to ``chip away at the number of uninsured'' in segments. He specifically mentioned focusing on 18- to 25-year olds.
Meanwhile, Josh Earnest, a Davis campaign spokesman, said Davis proposes to increase the number of insured Floridians but does not necessarily guarantee coverage for everyone.
But Earnest offers hope for the expansion of children’s health care coverage.
"If ever there is an issue that people in Florida can rally around across party lines, it's the notion of providing health insurance to the children of working parents,'' Earnest said. "Currently, right now, the politicians in Tallahassee are not getting it done.''
Florida has the nation’s second-highest rate of uninsured children at 17 percent. Texas has the highest rate, at 20 percent.
REAL FLORIDA STORIES
October 5, 2006
For Broward Mother of Two, Health Care Comes at Unaffordable Cost
What is happening to J.C., a mother of two living in Broward, is becoming the norm amid the health care crisis developing in Florida. Bleak as a recent report by the Campaign for Children’s Healthcare is, showing that the state is among the country's top three in number of uninsured children, it does not begin to address the plight of those who, like J.C., have inadequate insurance and still find themselves on the slippery slope of indebtedness.
J.C. has access to health insurance through her work. But as is often the case, employers cover less and less of the premiums and deductibles and copayments are putting an ever-growing financial burden upon consumers. J.C. pays premiums of over $300 a month, yet she can hardly consider herself covered.
This past February, her son suffered an asthma attack serious enough to cause him to be hospitalized for three days. Insured through Cigna, J.C. assumed the hospitalization costs would be covered. She was wrong. Her insurance refused to pay approximately $3,000 of the expenses she incurred. In addition, J.C. discovered that her insurance would not cover more than $150 in prescription medicines doctors recommended for her son.
Considering J.C. works in the claims department of her company and she advises others as to insurance benefits, her shock at discovering what is and isn’t covered by the insurance was even greater.
But it doesn’t end there. Collectors began calling her and eventually had her on a repayment plan that, given her income and the additional burden of unexpected home repair bills (a leaky roof she can’t get contractors to finish repairing) she could not keep up with. Her credit rating has since been affected.
J.C. tried to get KidCare coverage for her children (5 and 8 years-old). Besides being less expensive than the premiums she still pays to the insurance company, KidCare coverage is also more comprehensive. However, since she has medical insurance for her children, her application was denied. “I will not drop my children from the insurance plan I have unless I can be sure they will be covered some other way,” she says.
Meanwhile, however, the health care system she pays into through premiums and taxes keeps failing her.
Florida CHAIN Seeks Stories
Florida CHAIN gathers and shares experiences such as the one above to highlight the deficiencies of the current health care system. If you or someone you know would like to share your experience in health care, call 954-684-9895 or e-mail andrewl@floridachain.org
Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative
Our Newest Florida CHAIN Partner
September 22, 2006
The Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative, Inc. (TBHC) and Florida CHAIN recently established a partnership to further connect TBHC to statewide efforts pertaining to health care advocacy and consumer empowerment.
TBHC is a member-driven organization designed to share resources and coordinate efforts that promote healthier communities in the Tampa Bay region. Its members are agencies working to support healthy communities. TBHC supports member agencies as they empower people in the Bay Area community to improve their health, wellness, and safety. It does so by:
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Developing resources to increase access to healthcare for those in need.
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Promoting awareness and dialogue around the issue of the uninsured.
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Giving voice to the Bay Area community and advocating for resources to be healthy.
Recently, some of TBHC’s successes were highlighted in the media, including an article spotlighting the free work done by doctors at a number of Tampa Bay clinics that are TBHC members.
As part of its efforts to help staff these clinics, the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative has started an "I Can Help Now" campaign, aimed at getting professionals who might not consider volunteering because of malpractice concerns past their anxieties and into five Hillsborough and Pinellas clinics.
According to TBHC Executive Director Cheri Wright-Jones, a recent survey of local doctors found that malpractice risk and time were the two leading reasons fight the urge to serve.
In addition to doctors, the “I Can Help Now” campaign is targeting nurses, nurse practitioners, dental hygienists and nutritionists, who are all are in high demand at local clinics.
Through this and other work aimed at ensuring adequate access, the TBHC advocates for comprehensive health services for everyone in the Tampa Bay community by helping to remove social, racial, economic, and systemic barriers to health services.
For more information on the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative and its programs, contact Executive Director Cheri Wright-Jones at 727/204-9895 or director@tampabayhealth.org. For more information, visit www.tampabayhealth.org.
RECENT HEALTH ARTICLES
October 5, 2006
Florida News & Opinions
KidCare and SCHIP
Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Costs
Other Medicare, Medicaid
Health Insurance and Costs
Other Health Issues
National News & Opinions
Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Costs
Other Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Health Insurance and Costs
Other National Health Issues
KidCare and SCHIP
State: KidCare program is still flawed: Audit shows mistakes in child eligibility
A new state audit says Florida's $531 million insurance program for poor children has reduced the number of ineligible families receiving benefits, but still has considerable room for improvement. Auditor General Bill Monroe's study used a sampling of 202 children who were either newly enrolled during January and February or had their eligiblity re-examined. The auditors found only six cases of completely ineligible children being enrolled. (9/30/06, Tallahassee Democrat)
Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost
Wal-Mart expanding $4 generic drug program statewide
Wal-Mart Stores, reacting to what it described as a "considerable response" to a test program in Tampa in which it offers nearly 300 generic prescription drugs for dramatically reduced rates, announced today that it will expand the program statewide starting Friday. (10/5/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Customs to stop seizing low-cost prescription drugs imported from overseas
In a move that cheered buyers of Canadian drugs, U.S. customs officials told members of Congress they will no longer seize prescription drugs that individuals import illegally from other countries. The new policy ends a controversial practice begun last fall in which the government confiscated or delayed about 40,000 individual medication packages at postal facilities for international mail, including one in Miami serving South Florida.(10/4/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Pelosi visits Sunrise to rally seniors on Medicare Part D
U.S. House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and three local Democrats on Tuesday lambasted the Medicare prescription drug law. Pelosi vowed reforms to allow the government to negotiate cheaper drug prices. Any savings could be used to insulate seniors from the so-called "doughnut hole," whereby once drug costs reach $2,250, beneficiaries must pay a total of $3,600 before Medicare swings back in. Supporters of the Medicare drug plan countered that the "doughnut hole" was a slogan Democrats had coined for political gain. (10/4/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Seniors get more drug plan options
Florida seniors are being offered more healthcare choices from the federal government: dozens of new prescription drug plan options and now a Medicare health savings account. Among new options available in Florida: 27 improved plans; 35 plans offering no deductible; and several that offer new, lower premiums -- four costing less than $20 a month. There will be 58 stand-alone drug plans available in the coming year. (9/30/06, Miami Herald)
Patients with eye disease charged as much as $3,000 for new drug
Some South Florida patients with a serious eye disease have been shut out of a new treatment that may save their sight because some doctors' offices have been demanding payment of up to $3,000 for the drug. The drug, Lucentis, priced at $1,950 per shot by the manufacturer, is needed as often as once a month. Some patients who couldn't pay were steered to older drugs. Some doctors' office billing staffs, unsure whether Medicare would cover it, refused patients the drug, unless they could pay for the injection first. Arthur Herman, of Delray Beach, said he and his wife, Sue, 76, had to pay about $2,000 at Retina Group of Florida to get her first shot. When they went for the second, they were asked for a co-pay of $454, and to sign a paper saying they would be responsible for the rest -- about $1,800 -- if Medicare didn't reimburse the office. "Shelling out over $2,000 a month is next to impossible, but we're doing it because I want her to see again," Herman said.(9/29/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
OPINION: Our view: In critical condition - Small discounts on generic drugs highlight need to overhaul health care
In the fraying patchwork that passes for American health care, recent price cuts by chain store giants on some generic drugs offer at least a small boost to struggling consumers. But the front-page enthusiasm with which the discount news was met only underscores the real problem: In the richest nation in the world, more than 47 million people are uninsured. For them, any drug prices beyond the cheapest generics can be unaffordable, and serious illness means financial disaster. Some try to buy needed drugs from Canada, which negotiates discounts from 30 percent to 80 percent for its citizens. But even with nearly ten times the purchasing power of Canada, Congress has done no such thing for Americans. As for users of the Medicare drug plan, the timing of the Wal-Mart announcement was ironic. It came the same day last week that congressional Democrats noted "doughnut hole day" -- the day the average senior taking several medications on Medicare Part D hits the donut hole. (9/29/06, Florida Today)
OPINION: Helpful Rx - Wal-Mart gesture is hopeful
Wal-Mart's announcement Thursday that it will cut prices on some 300 generic drugs to $4 per 30-day prescription, starting in the Tampa Bay area, was immediately echoed by Target Inc. Together, they're providing a one-two punch to the health-care worries of thousands of working families. The companies deserve the applause. Their move suggests an interesting shift in private-sector participation in problems that hound the culture and seem so resistant to solution. (9/25/06, Tallahassee Democrat)
OPINION: Tampa's latest attraction: Rx World
Will Tampa be the new Canada? Faster than an arthritic hip can stiffen in the cold, prescription drug users took note of the big blue change on the horizon. Well, at least one prescription drug taker did -- me. Wal-Mart announced a plan to provide nearly 200 generic prescription drugs for $4. You can't even get a value meal for four bucks. Tampa is the only place in the country where the program is being tried out. And to compete, Tampa-area Targets are jumping on the bandwagon. The Underground Railroad that once defined the dark history of America's slave-keeping past was usurped with a modern-day bus ride to better health. OK, maybe not usurped-usurped, because nothing reeks of inhumanity like human slave-keeping. Still, when Nana and Uncle Fred -- regardless of race or how hard they've worked -- are forced to take a bus ride and smuggle drugs back into the country for arthritis, phlebitis or bursitis, you gotta admit, that's pretty shameful. (9/27/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Target to follow Wal-Mart's lead with $4 prescriptions
Wal-Mart's move to slash prices on generic drugs to a flat $4 has triggered a competitive battle that is looking like a boon for Florida consumers, many of whom are older people who take multiple prescriptions on a permanent basis. Quickest on the draw after Wal-Mart's bombshell was Target Inc., which announced early Friday that it would match Wal-Mart's dramatic price cuts at all its pharmacies in the Tampa Bay area, including Sarasota and Manatee counties. (9/23/06, Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Wal-Mart's Rx for health worry: $4 generic drugs
Wal-Mart will start selling some generic medicines at $4 for a month's supply -- a move that could revolutionize the retail drug business. Wal-Mart announced a dramatic step Thursday to slash drug costs by offering almost 300 generic medicines for $4 a month, starting in Tampa and spreading throughout Florida on Jan. 1. The drugs will be $4 with or without health insurance. That news should be particularly welcome in South Florida, where 26.8 percent of Miami-Dade residents and 16.6 of Broward lack insurance, according to a recent FIU study. (9/22/06, Miami Herald)
Medicare 'hole' a political divide
The 'doughnut hole' debate in the Medicare prescription drug program has turned into a pitched partisan battle among South Florida members of Congress. A dispute over Medicare's prescription drug benefit has opened a window into the rift in the South Florida congressional delegation, and triggered a partisan spat in one of the nation's hardest-fought congressional campaigns. The cost of prescription drugs is important to many of the senior voters who will choose between incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw and his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Ron Klein. The coastal District 22 includes an estimated 120,000 Medicare beneficiaries. (9/21/06, Miami Herald)
Other Medicare, Medicaid
State: Care needs repair: Agencies hope to reduce dependency on Medicaid, say overhaul is long overdue
Between now and early 2007, officials with three state agencies that deal with health care, insurance and Medicaid eligibility will keep fax machines humming, along with holding countless conferences. The goal is hammering out guidelines for an overhaul of long-term-care insurance in Florida as supported by the federal government, which advocates say is long overdue to reduce dependency on Medicaid and to provide consumer protections that have been sorely lacking. The intent is to have parameters of the Florida Long Term Care Partnership Program incorporated in the state's Medicaid plan so citizens can start taking advantage of the program next year, said Lori Parham, advocacy manager for state affairs with AARP in Tallahassee, which supports the partnership between the state and private insurance industry.It is an ambitious time frame, she added. (10/3/06, Naples News)
Medicaid experiment eases pain
Poor residents of 3 counties praise the trial program using alternative medicine.
For 2 1/2 years, a few hundred residents of Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties have been massaged, poked with acupuncture needles, prodded to eat right and bestowed with meditation tapes -- all by a Medicaid program usually known for no-frills hospitals and by-the-books doctors. But with Medicaid gobbling ever-larger chunks of state revenue, the Legislature is experimenting. Some changes are sweeping -- such as the private HMOs that are taking over Medicaid in other counties. The Tampa Bay-area experiment is smaller and less conventional. (10/3/06, St. Petersburg Times)
Patients key to latest Medicaid reformsMedicaid reform is arriving with a splash in Jacksonville and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. It’s being plugged in radio commercials, touted on billboards and talked up with church groups. All of the hype aims to prep recipients so that, from the moment they receive a bright lime-green and blue envelope in the mail, they feel they’re joining the cause. The first of about 210,000 people in Duval and Broward counties have begun to take part in Florida’s newest Medicaid experiment. The goal is to give patients incentives to make smart choices about their own health care, making them the driving force in keeping costs down for taxpayers. Florida’s two-county pilot program is at the forefront of efforts around the country to give Medicaid beneficiaries more control over their health care. Joe Rogers, a top official for the North Broward Hospital District, a public hospital system that includes 30 health care facilities in the Ft. Lauderdale area, said Medicaid recipients were having a tough time, at least initially, becoming active consumers. (10/3/06, Stateline.org)
Health Insurance and Costs
Florida faces shortage of physicians
Is there a doctor in the house? Not enough of them if you live in Florida, according to a new report that says the Sunshine State faces a critical shortage of family physicians in the coming decade. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, Florida must increase its ranks of family doctors by 63 percent during the next 15 years. The state is among five considered in the worst shape to deal with an onslaught of aging baby boomers. (10/3/06, Orlando Sentinel)
Fewer Physicians
A shortage of family medicine doctors could make getting care more difficult in the coming years. Whether you have a sick child or you just need a check-up, it's a primary care doctor you call first. But those first-line doctors are becoming more difficult to find. Baptist Primary Care Dr. Jim Clower said it may come down to money. Family doctors are reimbursed less for their services than specialists who are reimbursed for procedures. Clower said as the population in Florida ages, and reimbursement continues to fall behind, many family doctors will be forced to cut their patient load. That will make access to care more difficult. "If you can't get access to primary care, where are you going to go? You overload the emergency room system and that's already happening," said Clower. A report from the American Academy of Family Practitioners said Florida will need more than 4,000 additional family medicine doctors to support the population by 2020. (9/29/06, Fox30online.com)
Sanford pays staff for insurance
The city is doubling the bonus it will pay employees if they drop their health coverage.
Some Sanford city employees will take home an extra $3,000 next year instead of signing up for health insurance offered by the city. The $250 monthly stipend is designed to reduce the city's insurance costs, which ballooned to $5.2 million in 2006, up from $1.7 million in 2000, City Manager Sherman Yehl said. About 10 percent of the 540 eligible participants chose that option when the incentive was $1,500 a year. On average, the city spends $7,200 to insure each employee. (10/4/06, Orlando Sentinel)
OPINION: Tax district essential to care of poor patients
Citizens across Florida are increasingly revolting against higher taxes. Here, at the Sept. 25 meeting of the Halifax Hospital Board of Commissioners, tax activists promised to lead a movement to abolish the taxing district after the board had refused to buckle to a demand to lower taxes further. But there is a problem. One of the board members, Don Quinn, was quoted as saying the money collected next year will be $75 million short of what is needed to pay for indigent care, which is an inordinately large obligation for one institution to bear. While it's true Halifax has been profitable the last five years, in contrast to those lean years in the '90s, it's still not making enough money to operate with less tax money without reducing its services. (10/4/06, Daytona News-Journal)
Governor candidates remain low key on problems of health care
Many Floridians are angry about the high cost of medicines and health treatments, so it's no surprise the leading candidates for governor say they want to improve access to affordable health care. But Democrat Jim Davis and Republican Charlie Crist have yet to put health issues at the top of their campaign agendas, despite evidence that the rising cost of prescription drugs and doctor and hospital visits is a high priority to many voters this year. Crist and Davis insist they are not ignoring the topics and point to their voting records and other actions in public office as proof they are concerned about consumer health costs and the high number of medically uninsured, an estimated 1-in-5 Floridians. (9/29/06, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Palm Beach County rethinks aid for partner perks
Palm Beach County commissioners Tuesday will reconsider whether to subsidize domestic partner benefits the county now offers, instead of making gay, lesbian and unmarried employees pay for them out of their own pockets. The commission voted last year to offer health, dental and long-term disability benefits to domestic partners, but decided that county employees must pay for the benefits themselves. At the time, commissioners vowed to revisit the payment decision in a year to see how many employees enrolled in the program and analyze potential costs. That year is up, and commissioners now must decide whether to change last year's decision. They will consider charging employees who enroll their domestic partners and children in the county's program the same price as their married counterparts. (9/29/06, Palm Beach Post)
For many in Marion, health care access limited: Institute to spend 6 months looking at issue
Lola Gonzalez knows what it is like to be without health insurance and sick. When she moved to Marion County from Miami with her husband, Marcos, 10 years ago, Gonzalez gave up her job helping Cuban immigrants find work and medical care. She also gave up her employer-subsidized medical insurance and soon found herself not much better off than the people she once tried to help. About 20 percent of Marion County residents are uninsured. The Public Policy Institute of Marion County will spend the next 6 months looking at the issue. (9/28/06, Ocala Star-Banner)
Health care quality rises, participants fall
Americans with health insurance are receiving better care than ever, but a record number of Americans have no health care coverage, according to two reports released Wednesday. Insured Americans have seen an improvement in the quality of health care for the past seven years, according to the report by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, an independent health organization. But for the fifth straight year, the number of Americans without health insurance increased in 2005, reaching a total of 46.6 million, according to a report by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. Despite steady growth in the economy, the uninsured rate has grown from 14.2 percent of the population in 2000 to 15.9 percent last year. A major reason was that the share of people covered by employer-sponsored health care dropped by 4.1 percent, affecting more than 3 million people. In Florida, the rate of employer-sponsored health insurance dropped 4.6 percentage points, from 61.8 percent for the years 1999-2000 to 57.2 percent for the years 2004-2005. (9/2/8/06, Palm Beach Post)
Health premiums climb 7.7%: Annual rise is lowest since 1999, but still double rate of inflation
To Becky Cherney, who represents many of the region's largest employers as head of the Florida Health Care Coalition, the 7.7 percent increase "is not sustainable. Health care simply can't keep taking a bigger and bigger bite out of people's incomes." Cherney said the burden has been tougher on workers with family coverage, and the Kaiser survey bears that out. Since 2000, the typical worker's out-of-pocket cost for a year's worth of insurance premiums has gone from $293 to $627 for single coverage, and from $1,354 to $2,973 for family coverage. And premiums are just a part of what workers have to pay for health care. (9/27/06, Orlando Sentinel)
Bill may be boon to long-term care policyholders
New Florida rules, under House Bill 947, are expected to create a long-term care partnership between Florida and Medicaid by early next year. Similar programs already exist in New York, Connecticut, Indiana and California. Medicaid is the federal program that funds health care for the poor. Even if you're not poor, under this program, some of you still may be eligible to apply for Medicaid and keep an amount of assets equal to your long-term care insurance benefit. (9/24/06, Palm Beach Daily News)
Other Health Issues
Central Florida Faith and Health Leaders Announce Support of Amendment 4 to Protect Florida Kids From Tobacco
Central Florida faith and health leaders today held a press conference to pledge support for Amendment 4, a citizens' initiative on this November's ballot to protect Florida youth from tobacco. The leaders urged Florida congregations to actively support Amendment 4, which would restore funding for Florida's comprehensive, statewide tobacco education and prevention program. "In the Hispanic evangelical community, we cannot keep our arms crossed while tobacco addiction kills so many of our families in Florida and while our girls and boys become addicted to tobacco products. Our leaders feel an obligation to deal with this problem by supporting Amendment 4, which will once again make Florida a national leader in the fight to protect our children from tobacco addiction and save many lives," said Miriam Cruz, a Hispanic leader who helped coordinate the meeting with leaders from the Hispanic evangelical community of Central Florida. (10/4/06, PRNewswire)
Cocoa clinic seeks bigger home
Brevard Health Alliance medical assistant Eileen Fisher is getting good at spotting the leaks before they come. With towels at the ready, during a rainstorm she knows exactly where to place them. Fisher is one of 11 nurses and medical assistants who works at the low-cost clinic at 15 Rosa Jones Blvd. -- home to two small exam rooms and room for little else. Her boss, Thomas Culbreth, is looking for a larger, newer -- and drier -- building that can handle more patients and have room for a pharmacy. The clinic opened in April to provide primary, dental and mental health care to uninsured and low-income Cocoa residents. Partnerships with Wuesthoff and HealthFirst provide funding for diagnostic services, and patients who qualify financially receive free prescription drugs. In July, a similar clinic at the Rockledge branch of the county health department closed and transferred its patients to BHA. While no one is getting turned away, the surge in patient traffic -- more than 400 patients visited the clinic in August, twice the number of May visits -- is causing longer office wait times and scheduling back-ups. Some patients must wait up to four weeks for an appointment. (9/27/06, Florida Today)
Central Florida Doctors Making House Calls
Baby boomers may remember the days when doctors made house calls. Now, some people in Central Florida can enjoy that luxury again. Certain people living in Orlando and Melbourne are part of a pilot project funded by Medicare. It arranges for doctors to make house calls on the most chronically ill senior citizens in the area. For example, 76-year-old Nancy Smith sees Doctor Richard Powell as often as she needs to without having to set foot outside of her Orlando home. She's one of 2700 Medicare patients in this region to receive the at-home doctor house calls. (9/26/06, WFTV.com)
NATIONAL NEWS & OPINIONS
Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Costs
OPINION: Of drugs and doughnuts: Unresponsive.
Two years ago, the painkiller Vioxx was withdrawn after studies revealed significant heart risks. The episode also revealed huge gaps in tracking the safety of drugs once they are on the market. Now, a troubling Institute of Medicine report suggests little has changed. The panel of top government advisers found that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remains plagued by bureaucratic infighting, poor management and a dangerous passivity in evaluating drug safety. (9/27/06, USA Today)
Judge Halts Effort to Recoup Mistaken Medicare Refunds
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Bush administration to halt its effort to collect $50 million from 230,000 Medicare beneficiaries who had received erroneous refunds of premiums paid for prescription drug coverage. He said many of them might qualify for waivers because repayment would cause hardship. The judge, Henry H. Kennedy Jr. of Federal District Court here, said Dr. Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, must immediately send a notice to every one of the 230,000 beneficiaries, stating that each has a right under federal law to request such waivers. Federal officials had previously told beneficiaries to return the money by Saturday, Sept. 30. Judge Kennedy said the administration could not enforce that demand unless it first gave beneficiaries an opportunity to seek an exemption. (9/29/06, New York Times)
Medicare Refund Mixup Part of Larger Tangle
When Medicare mistakenly sent premium refunds to 230,000 people who had signed up for prescription drug coverage, the Bush administration said the error had resulted from a rare computer glitch.But government records and interviews with federal officials show it was the latest example of a strained, often dysfunctional relationship between two of the government’s biggest programs. For more than a year, officials who run the two programs, Social Security and Medicare, have struggled to mesh their computer systems so that Medicare premiums are correctly withheld from Social Security checks, and low-income people get the extra help to which they are entitled. The problems are compounded because this information is collected and used by scores of private Medicare drug plans, each with its own procedures and computer systems. (9/25/06, New York Times)
AARP Launches $500,000 Ad Campaign To Promote Legislation To Allow U.S. Residents To Purchase Medications From Abroad
AARP has launched a $500,000 advertising campaign calling for Senate action on a bill that would permit consumers to buy U.S.-made prescription drugs from Canada and eventually from other countries. The campaign will focus on 14 states where senators have indicated support for reimportation. The ads are intended to urge people to lobby their senators to co-sponsor the bill. (9/18/06, AP)
Other Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP News
Legislators, Advocates Address SCHIP Program DeficitHouse Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member John Dingell (D-Mich.) plans to introduce a bill to address expected SCHIP budget deficits in fiscal year 2007. The legislation would require the HHS secretary to provide states with funds equal to their expected SCHIP budget deficits in FY 2007. In a letter sent to lawmakers on Monday, a coalition of more than 80 health care and consumer groups -- such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association and the March of Dimes -- said that Congress should take "immediate action" to address expected SCHIP budget deficits in FY 2007. According to the letter, "SCHIP funding shortfalls could add even more children to the ranks of the uninsured. (9/18/06, CQ HealthBeat) (9/19/06, Congress Daily)
OPINION: Higher rates for the rich won't undermine Medicare"Even with the surcharges, Medicare remains the best deal going for seniors," as higher-income beneficiaries next year might pay $1,945 in premiums but receive $4,363 in benefits, a USA Today editorial states. The editorial concludes, "It's a matter of simple equity that those able to pay for a larger share of their own health care do so." (9/15/06, USA Today)
US Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Proof Of Citizenship Medicaid RequirementU.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed over allegations that some Medicaid beneficiaries would lose coverage as a result of a new law under which beneficiaries and applicants must provide proof of U.S. citizenship to receive care through the program). Under the law, individuals who seek care through Medicaid must provide proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, passport or other form of identification. (9/20/06, AP)
Health Insurance and Costs
Most Uninsured Children's Parents Work
Most of the 9 million uninsured children in the U.S. live in homes where at least one parent works full time. In more than one-quarter of the cases, there are two working parents. (9/28/06, Washington Post)
Health Care Costs Rise Twice as Much as Inflation
The cost of living keeps going up, but the cost of healthy living is going up even faster. A widely followed national survey reported that the cost of employee health care coverage rose 7.7 percent this year, more than double the overall inflation rate and well ahead of the increase in the incomes of workers. The 7.7 percent increase was the lowest since 1999. But the average cost to employees continued an upward trend, reaching $2,973 annually for family coverage out of a total cost of $11,481. (9/27/06, New York Times)
Panel Recommends Basic Insurance Plan
A federal advisory panel said Monday that Congress should take immediate steps to guarantee that all Americans have access to affordable health care. In findings that "clash" with the Bush administration's support for consumer-driven health care, a report from the congressionally mandated Citizens' Health Care Working Group recommends a universal health care system by 2012 As a first step, the 14-member panel, appointed by the comptroller general of the United States, said, A" national public or private program must be established to ensure protection against very high out-of-pocket medical costs for everyone.” The panel said Congress should create an independent “public-private entity” to define a basic set of health care benefits and services for all Americans. While leaving many details to be worked out, the panel declared, "It should be public policy, written in law, that all Americans have affordable access to health care." (9/26/06, New York Times)
House Bill Would Make Health Savings Accounts More Attractive as Tax Shelters for High Income Individuals
(9/26/06, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)
OPINION: Private Insurers Are at the Root of Rising Health Costs and Number of Uninsured
Though health care is becoming "the core of the American economy," our system of paying for it "remains sick, and is getting sicker." (9/22/06, New York Times)
Party Chairs Outline Positions on Health Care and the Uninsured
Opinion pieces by the chairs of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee appearing in the Wall Street Journal address the parties' differing approaches to health care, among other issues. (9/22/06, Wall Street Journal)
OPINION: Wall Street Journal Columnist Endorses Subsidies to Low-Income Uninsured
Subsidies for those who cannot afford health insurance, rather than consumer-directed health care, is the way to restrain health care spending. (9/20/06, Wall Street Journal)
Other Health Issues
HIV/AIDS Services Bill Passes The House
Reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act is about a year overdue, and the House took a tentative step towards final enactment by passing H.R. 6143, legislation sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) in the days before the pre-election recess. (10/4/06, Coalition for Human Needs)
FDA Broadens Access To Lead Screening Test With Immediate Results to Allow Community-Based Testing
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today expanded the availability of the first simple and portable lead test system to more than 115,000 certified point-of-care locations nationwide, including healthcare clinics, mobile health units and schools. This will allow children and adults to be tested and treated for lead poisoning much easier and faster. The test is used to screen children and adults for harmful levels of lead using a finger stick or venous whole blood sample. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 300,000 children under age six each year have blood levels that exceed 10 milligrams per deciliter, the threshold used to indicate lead poisoning. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) estimates one out of four homes with children under age six has lead contamination. (9/19/06, Medical News Today)
HEALTH ADVOCACY RESOURCES
October 5, 2006
Florida CHAIN Website Resources
Grants and Fellowships
Organizations and Services
Manuals, Guides and Toolkits
Technology and Audio Visual Materials
Audioconferences and Webcasts
Media Programming
Web Sites, Web Features
Videos
Periodicals and Books
Reports and Studies
New Listings
New Listings: Medicare, Medicaid
New: Health Insurance, Health Costs, Health Care Reform
New: Health Equity Issues
New: Other Health Issues
Florida Reports
Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIPS
New: Census Data Analysis
Federal Budget/Health Care
Health Insurance, Health Costs, Health Care Reform
Health Equity Issues
Other Health Issues
FLORIDA CHAIN WEB SITE RESOURCE UPDATE
Florida Medicaid Reform PowerPoint Presentation
Educate your colleagues and/or employees on Florida Medicaid Reform basics. with Florida CHAIN's just completed PowerPoint presentation for public use. Feel free to call Florida CHAIN for more information about Medicaid reform or about the PowerPoint: 954-791-7314.
The Florida CHAIN web site now includes resource information in Spanish.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
New grant listings
Healthy Tomorrow Partnership for Children Program
Deadline: Oct. 20
This cooperative agreement program between the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides federal grants of $50,000 per year for 5 years to support community-based child health projects that improve the health status of mothers, infants, children, and adolescents by increasing their access to health services. Healthy Tomorrow projects must represent a new initiative within the community or an innovative component that builds upon existing community resources. Projects usually target low-income populations in four areas: access to health care; community-based health care; preventive health care; and service coordination. Contact nmiller@aap.org or kpalmer@aap.org with questions.
Florida Healthy Kids
The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation has released a Call for Grant Proposals – Round Two (CGP). The CGP seeks innovative proposals from community organizations, governmental entities and others to provide marketing and outreach activities that will result in reaching the enrollment target for the Florida KidCare Program.
Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship
Deadline: Nov. 17
Administered by the Institute of Medicine, this is the nation's most prestigious learning experience at the nexus of health science, policy and politics. The fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for exceptional midcareer health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health to experience and participate in the health policy processes at the federal level and to use that experience to provide leadership to improve health, health care and health policy at the national, state or local levels.
ACHI Youth Obesity Collaborative
Deadline: Nov. 17
The Association for Community Health Improvement is seeking proposals from rural and suburban hospitals interested in joining its youth obesity collaborative, a national network launched last February to identify effective community strategies to reduce youth obesity. The learning collaborative strives to enhance the effectiveness of participants' initiatives and also to develop guidance for other hospital-based partnerships seeking to impact youth obesity. The Learning Collaborative benefits each participant directly through a facilitated peer learning network and expert consultation, to support program enhancements and improved program outcomes. The project pays participants’ travel costs to Learning Collaborative events and the costs of expert consultation made available to the collaborative. Participants do not receive cash grants to fund staff or programs.
2007 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program
Deadline: Dec. 15
Operated in partnership with Howard University, the Scholars Program brings talented African American, Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander college seniors and recent graduates to Washington, D.C., for placement in congressional offices to learn about health policy. Through the nine-week program (May 21- August 3, 2007), Scholars gain knowledge about federal legislative procedure and health policy issues, while further developing their critical thinking and leadership skills. In addition to gaining experience in a congressional office, Scholars participate in seminars and site visits to augment their knowledge of health care issues, and write and present a health policy research paper.
Funding for Mental Illness Information and Outreach Initiatives
Deadline: Dec. 22
The American Psychiatric Foundation is making up to $750,000 in grant funds available over the course of three years (2005-07) to fund public education, information, and outreach initiatives that promote the early recognition and treatment of mental illness. Grants from the foundation can support a wide variety of public education activities in this arena. The foundation seeks to fund new and innovative ideas and programs that promote public awareness of mental illness, the effectiveness of treatment, and the importance of early intervention.
2007 NCHS/AcademyHealth Fellowship
Deadline: January 8
Sponsored by National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and AcademyHealth, this fellowship program brings visiting scholars in health services research-related disciplines to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in Hyattsville, Md. for a period of 13-24 months to conduct studies of interest to policymakers and the health services research community. Fellows have access to NCHS data resources for use in their proposed studies, and also work on collaborative projects with NCHS staff.
HRET Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship
Deadline: Jan. 30
The Health Research and Educational Trust and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management (IFD), in partnership with the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), Health Forum, and the American Hospital Association (AHA), are now accepting applications for the Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship. Now in its second year, the program equips participants with critical skills to lead their organizations in providing safe, high quality care to multicultural patients and communities. Fellows explore practical approaches to assessing organizational competence, enhancing patient-provider interaction, and using systems approaches to reduce disparities. Community practitioners and teams are encouraged to apply.
$13 Million for Community Prevention Programs for Older Americans
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the release of more than $13 million to 16 states to improve the health and quality of life for older Americans. This announcement, part of a collaboration with The Atlantic Philanthropies announced earlier this year, supports President Bush's HealthierUS Initiative which encourages people to take control over their health in order to live longer, better and healthier lives. HHS will support efforts over three years in up to 16 states to support the delivery of evidence based programs for senior aging services provider organizations, such as senior centers, nutrition programs, senior housing projects and faith based organizations. (9/28/06, HHS)
Continuing grant listings, in order of submission deadlines
RWJF Health and Society Scholars Program Call for Applications
Deadline: October 13
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) issued a call for applications for the RWJ Health and Society Scholars Program, a two-year fellowship designed to build the nation's capacity for research, leadership and action to address the broad range of factors affecting health.
Rural Health Outreach Grant Program
Deadline: Oct. 18
The application package for Rural Health Outreach Grants is now available. The program is designed to encourage the development of new and innovative health care delivery systems in rural communities that lack essential health care services. The emphasis is on service delivery through creative strategies requiring the grantee to form a network with at least two additional partners. Programs have varied greatly, and have brought care that would not otherwise have been available to at least 2 million rural citizens across the country. Through consortia of schools, churches, emergency medical service providers, local universities, private practitioners and the like, rural communities have managed to create hospice care, bring health check-ups to children and provide prenatal care to women in remote areas. To be eligible the grant recipient's headquarters must be public or nonprofit private entity and be located in a designated rural county, or exclusively provide services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in rural areas, or be a Native American Tribal or quasi-tribal entity. See Geographic Eligibility for Rural Health Grant Programs. Estimated average size of award is $150,000.
Scholars in Health Policy Research Program
Deadline: Oct. 25
The Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Research Program helps develop a new generation of creative health policy thinkers and researchers within the disciplines of economics, political science and sociology. Each year, the program selects up to 12 highly qualified individuals for two-year fellowships at one of three nationally prominent universities with the expectation that they will make important research contributions to future health policy in the United States.
CVS/pharmacy Accepting Applications for Community Grants Program
Deadline: Oct. 31
CVS/pharmacy supports the communities it serves by offering nonprofit organizations the CVS/pharmacy Community Grant. The Community Grants program is currently accepting proposals for the following: 1) Programs targeting children under the age of 18 with disabilities that address any of the following: health and rehabilitation services; public schools promoting a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs; and creating opportunities or facilities that give greater access to physical movement and play. 2) Healthcare services for uninsured people. All CVS/pharmacy Community Grant applications must be submitted online between January and October of each calendar year.
Substance Abuse Policy Research Program—Round XI
Deadline: Nov. 14
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program is designed to encourage experts in public health, law, political science, medicine, sociology, criminal justice, economics, psychology and other behavioral and policy sciences to address issues related to substance use, one of the most pressing public health problems facing our nation. Projects are expected to increase understanding of public and private policy interventions to prevent, treat and reduce the harm caused by the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
Applied Epidemiology Fellowship at CDC for Medical Students
Deadline: Dec. 4
Funded by Pfizer Inc. and administered by the CDC Foundation, this fellowship provides medical students with applied hands-on training experience in epidemiology and public health. Up to ten 3rd-4th year medical students from around the US will spend up to a year at the CDC, carrying out epidemiologic analyses in areas such as birth defects, injury, chronic disease, infectious disease, environmental health, reproductive health, and minority health. The program provides a stipend for living expenses.
Fellowship in Minority Health Policy (2007-8)
Application deadline: Jan. 2
Supported by The Commonwealth Fund, administered by the Minority Faculty Development Program at Harvard Medical School, this innovative fellowship is designed to prepare physicians, particularly minority physicians, for leadership roles in formulating and implementing public health policy and practice on a national, state, or community level. Five one-year, degree-granting fellowships will be awarded per year. Fellows will complete academic work leading to a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, and gain experience in and understanding of major health issues facing minority, disadvantaged, and underserved populations. CFHUF also offers a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at John F. Kennedy School of Government to physicians possessing an MPH. It is expected that CFHUF will support the development of a cadre of leaders in minority health, well-trained academically and professionally in public health, health policy, health management, and clinical medicine, as well as actively committed to careers in public service.
Translational Research for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes and Obesity
Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): N/A
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) through this FOA seeks to foster the development of cost effective and sustainable translational research studies to prevent and treat obesity and diabetes. The interventions designed should have the potential to be disseminated to clinical practice including individuals or communities at risk.
Medicare Seeks Proposals for Senior Risk Reduction Demonstration
As part of its efforts to increase prevention on the part of Medicare beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that it has issued a solicitation to implement a health promotion and disease prevention program through the Medicare Senior Risk Reduction Demonstration. The demonstration will determine whether health risk reduction programs that have been developed, tested, and shown to be effective in the private sector can be tailored to the Medicare program to help beneficiaries improve their health and thus reduce the need for health care services.
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
Allegany Franciscan Ministries Capacity Building Scholarship
Allegany Franciscan Ministries will award, in Miami-Dade, Tampa Bay, and Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie areas, Capacity Building Scholarships throughout 2006 as long as funds are available. Scholarships of up to $300 may be requested to pay registration fees for conferences, seminars and other training opportunities for the staff and volunteers of nonprofit organizations in order to increase their capacity to deliver efficient and effective services to those in need. Organizations may submit scholarship applications at any time, preferably at least six weeks prior to the registration deadline of the conference or training program.
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.
Training Alliance for Communities of Color
This is a new website from the 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). This unique partnership was created to make clear the link between efforts to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities and the role of health policymaking, as well as to ensure that community leaders have the tools, information, and resources they need to address these issues. The mission of the Alliance 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.
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. Publications include:
Questions to Ask when Considering a Medicare Health Plan; What do I need to know about the new drug benefit if I am in a Medicare HMO or other private health plan?; Medicare: A National Treasure for 40 Years.
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 is a group of individuals and organizations working together to reduce the cancer burden and to reduce 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.
Medicare Part D Extra Help/Low Income Outreach Toolkit
CMS now offers an Extra Help/Low Income Outreach Toolkit. The outreach and education initiatives outlined in this plan are designed to identify all remaining likely Low Income eligible beneficiaries; ensure that they complete applications; and encourage them to actively choose their Medicare drug plans. Estimates show approximately 3 million Medicare beneficiaries remain who are likely to qualify for Extra Help but have not yet applied for it or enrolled in a Medicare drug plan. There is a May 16 - Nov. 15, 2006 Special Enrollment Period so those eligible for Extra Help can join a Medicare drug plan immediately without paying a penalty.
Navigating the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage Program: A Guide for People With Disabilities, Benefits Counselors, Disability Organizations and Others on Ensuring Adequate and Appropriate Access to Prescription DrugsWritten by a senior research scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, and a disability policy consultant, this guide provides information for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries about how to best use the Medicare drug benefit. The guide offers an overview of the drug plan in a question-and-answer format, as well as a discussion about possible denials of coverage, exceptions, grievances and appeals. (6/6/06, United Cerebral Palsy)
Consumer-Directed Health Care Resources
KaiserEDU.org recently posted new resources on consumer-directed health care, including a narrated slide tutorial, an issue module and a public poll analysis. The slide tutorial discusses the principles and models of CDHC, including health savings accounts. He also discusses CDHC financing, CDHC's impact on health care spending and related policy issues. The companion issue module summarizes the latest research and policy analysis on CDHC and covers CDHC's impact in the marketplace and on low-income populations, health insurance coverage, risk selection, and consumers' access to health information. The Public Opinions on HSAs examines how many Americans have heard of and understand what health savings accounts are (6/5/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
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
Medicare Rights Center Resources to Fix Part-D
MRC promotes fixing Part-D by making it available under Original Medicare and negotiating drug prices. Here are four resources to help educate others:
Presentation (Powerpoint) on Why We Need a Drug Benefit Under Original Medicare
"Part D - No Guarantee" Confusion Chart Flier
Why is the Privatized Part D Drug Benefit a Disaster?
The New Part D Prescription Drug Program: A Gamble for All Americans
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 a new resource, 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.
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. To make changes or additions to any design or use the trademarked logos or phone numbers, prior approval is required to ensure that accurate information is distributed. 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
Black Women’s Health Imperative: Standing Up to Osteoporosis
Oct. 10 Noon EDT
An educational, audio-teleconference on osteoporosis. Ask questions and listen in while noted health care professionals answer pressing health questions on the topic. Please submit questions today, and encourage friends and family to also register for this free event. Click here to submit questions and RSVP.
Chicago's Comprehensive Youth Obesity Prevention Collaborative
Oct. 17 2:00 pm ET, 1:00 pm CT
Join this free CDC-sponsored Audio Conference call for insight into Chicago's comprehensive and collaborative youth obesity prevention network, which addresses childhood obesity prevention through clinical, research, and advocacy/public education projects and initiatives. This inclusive undertaking of research, education, health promotion, policy and results measurement, involves a vast partnership of schools, business, community groups and government, easily garnering city-wide support. Learn how this project includes social marketing to 'sell' healthy lifestyles for young children, the drafting and passage of legislation that supports the community-level efforts and more. To register, write communityhlth@aha.org with the session title in the subject line and your contact information in the body.
Video/Forum to Assess Medicare Drug Benefit Implementation for Low-Income and Dual Eligible Beneficiaries
Explores key challenges in reaching low-income people on Medicare and reviews potential strategies for improving participation in the low-income subsidy program. Panelists discuss the early experiences of these beneficiaries and consider how to address ongoing challenges. A new video, produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Transitions 2006, which explores some of the issues and challenges experienced by dual eligibles, is also presented. (5/18/06, Kaiser Network)
Families USA Conference Call Audio Playbacks
Throughout 2006, Families USA is holding a series of conference calls on a range of health care topics for state and local advocates. Interested, but can't make it? Don't worry. You can catch up on what you missed by listening to the audio playback. To listen to these conference calls, you will need RealPlayer or Windows Media Player. Click here for listening instructions.
Media Programming
Remaking American Medicine?...Health Care for the 21st Century
Crosskeys Media® and Devillier Communications, Inc. announce a four-part series to be broadcast on PBS nationally every Thursday at 10 p.m. in October. Line-up and date for each show:
Silent Killer - October 5
Every year at least 98,000 Americans die - and countless more are injured - as a result of medical errors. This program begins by profiling the efforts of Sorrel King, whose 18-month-old daughter Josie was killed at one of the most respected hospitals in the world, Johns Hopkins.
First Do No Harm - October 12
This program focuses on the impact of medical errors in two hospitals and follows the efforts of physicians who are challenging their colleagues to live up to their oath to First Do No Harm. Confronts one epidemic of hospital-acquired infections that are shattering the lives of their victims.
The Stealth Epidemic - October 19
Chronic diseases like diabetes and congestive heart failure affect nearly 100 million Americans, and treatment of these illnesses consumes nearly 70 percent of all health care resources. Yet doctors are often unable to prevent needless suffering or even death, and these failures are threatening the viability of our entire health care system.
Hand in Hand - October 26
As medicine continues to become more and more technologically sophisticated and the systems that deliver medical care become more complex, the relationship between providers, patients and families is more important than ever.
"60 Minutes" Targets Hospitals' Billing of the Uninsured
"60 Minutes" segment transcript
"60 Minutes" responses to segment transcript
Web Sites, Web Features & Databases
Newest postings are listed at the top of State and National Web Resources sections below
State Web Resources
Florida Association of Community Health Centers (FACHC)
The following resources have recently been added to the FACHC web site:
Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish-speaking Adults (SAHLSA-50) A new health literacy test than can be used to screen for low health literacy among Spanish speakers.
Health Coverage and Access to Care for Hispanics in "New Growth Communities" and "Major Hispanic Centers" A 2006 Report from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Healthy Hispanic Foods Resource Kit makes it easier for Hispanic families to make healthier food selections and to cook traditional foods in a healthier way.
Spanish Language Mental Health Manual for Health Promoters Developed by the California- Mexico Bi-National Health Initiative.
Florida DOH Chronic Disease Online Provider Education Modules
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
Statehealthfacts.org Data Updates
New updates include 2005 Medicaid Spending and Enrollment, Adult Overweight/Obesity Rates, and Child Health for 2005. New 2003 child health data from the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health on the percentage of children who are overweight and children who have accessed mental health services have also been added and are available by state and region.
Private Health Insurance 101 Tutorial
This new Kaiser Family Foundation narrated slide tutorial provides an overview of the private health insurance system, discussing basic concepts that are important in understanding private health insurance and how it works, such as risk spreading/risk selection, pluralism, costs, coverage, and regulation. Tutorial slides can be downloaded.
Updated Medicare 101 Tutorial
The newly expanded Kaiser Family Foundation tutorial gives an overview of Medicare, describes how it works and explores the program's challenges. The tutorial has been updated to include the latest information on Medicare spending, the prescription drug benefit and future challenges.
Rural Communities Statistics and Information
The Rural Assistance Center has added to its Web site a new resource providing continuously updated demographics and statistics, documents and resources and contacts for all 50 states. RAC said the federally funded "State Resources" addition is designed to help health care providers and human services representatives in rural communities with activities such as locating and competing for funding opportunities and networking.
American Community Census Data Online
The new poverty, income, and health insurance data from the U.S. Census Bureau released on August 29, 2006 is available online. This year, it has more state and local data than in previous annual surveys.
Covering Kids & Families Web Site
New layout includes Back to School Campaign resources; Communications Action Center, a one-stop outreach resource; new Covering Kids & Families Policy Center; new promising strategies section; resources for families looking for information about low-cost and free health care coverage; streamlined free materials ordering section; new PSA featuring Bernie Mac; royalty-free photos; resources for event planners. For more information, call 202/338-7227 or email coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com.
New Community Health Action Web Site
This website is intended to give leaders at community-based organizations, easy and ready access to important information on healthcare issues. The site also features a free quarterly newsletter called Community Health Advocacy News & Views with resources and information.
State Level Data on Health Coverage & the Uninsured
Kaiser Family Foundation's interactive web tool includes the health insurance status of the state’s population (those with various types of health coverage or who are uninsured), and demographic information (such as income, race/ethnicity, age, gender) for those who are uninsured, have employer-based insurance, or Medicaid. Information about Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries can be found in those respective categories. Find data from other categories on the website that relate to Health Coverage & Uninsured.
The Johns Hopkins INFO Project's New OneSource Database
This provides one-stop access to over 360,000 resources and six separate databases with a single mouse click or search term. OneSource users can quickly search for reports, articles, documents, posters and pamphlets, photos, web sites, Q&As and news articles through a single interface. An enhanced search and browse capability makes finding global family planning, reproductive health and population information faster and more simple than ever. Enter your terms in the search box. Select the resource type you want to look for, or search all six databases at once, and click Search.
Uninsured Tutorial, Module, and Reference Library
This KaiserEDU.org page contains comprehensive resources including links to key research, policy analysis, and the latest data and statistics on the uninsured.
Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions includes a corresponding PowerPoint presentation. (Cover the Uninsured)
Immigrant Health Policy Reference Library
This new compendium summarizes data and research on immigrants’ health coverage and access to care. The library also includes a list of organizations that conduct analysis on the impact of major health policies on immigrants and presents research on specific populations, including Latino, African and Asian immigrants.
Medicaid Fact Sheets Tool
Compare your state's Medicaid program and the population it serves to other states and the nation by visiting Kaiser's new interactive online State Medicaid Fact Sheets tool.
Interactive Tools on Medicaid
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured presents the State Medicaid Fact Sheets and the Medicaid Benefits Online Database, two interactive tools featuring the latest key data, information and services provided for each state’s Medicaid program. Both tools allow for easy access to the data which can then be printed, saved and emailed.
2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines
The Southern Institute on Children and Families, National Program Office for Covering Kids & Families has made available the 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Compiled from the 2006 HHS Poverty Guidelines, these guidelines provide income levels for families at 50%, 100%, 125%, 133%, 150%, 185% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Healthcare Coverage Options Database: Assistance for Obtaining Health Coverage
This Web site provides information on health insurance options for low-income U.S. residents. The site includes comprehensive information on large-scale programs like Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the federal Health Care Tax Credit Program, as well as hundreds of smaller state, federal, and private programs.
Videos
Covering Kids & Families Video
Parents' Action for Children, a 2006 national supporter, has created a flash animation video in partnership with Covering Kids & Families that promotes the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage for eligible families. Parents’ Action for Children plans to promote the video to their membership of more than 35,000 parents across the country who are working to improve the lives of children and families in their communities. View the video today! For more information, contact 202/338-7227 or coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com
Problems with the Medicare Drug Program and How to Fix Them: Video
This new 14-minute video produced by Families USA features trusted newsman Walter Cronkite discussing the problems within the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and offering solutions for the Part D program. The video offers an authoritative look at Medicare’s prescription coverage. First-hand experiences come from retirees from across the country, who offer an up-close look at the troubles the new drug benefit has generated, from the headaches of sorting through dozens of plans to the financial tolls the program will take on so-called beneficiaries. A dedicated community pharmacist shares his insights on the roll-out of Part D and knowledgeable consumer advocates analyze the politics at the core of the creation of the Medicare drug program. Watch the Video Online or Request a Copy
PERIODICALS AND BOOKS
Health and Health Care in Schools
The October issue is online, including: Do Dietetic Interventions Work in Child Obesity?; Crisis in the Emergency Room; Assessing the Impact of SCHIP, Ten Years Later; and An Update on Injuries in High School Sports.
New Journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action
The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health will publish the inaugural issue this fall of its new journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action (PCHP). Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, PCHP will address topics in the growing field of community-based participatory research.
Health Disparities: A Selected Bibliography
From the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Kaiser Family Foundation offers a weekly Medicare Q&A column that is being distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News. The column answers questions from readers related to the new Medicare drug benefit.
REPORTS AND STUDIES
New Listings
New Listings: Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
Clearing Hurdles and Hitting Walls: Restrictions Undermine Part D Coverage of Mental Health Drugs The study examines access to antipsychotics and antidepressants for 15 New York Medicare prescription drug plans to which dual eligibles -- individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid -- were assigned. The study looks specifically at prior authorization, step therapy and quantity limit requirements for medications. According to the study, not all plan formularies include single-source antipsychotics and antidepressants as required by CMS, and 23% of plans either did not cover antidepressants or restricted access to the drugs through utilization management. In addition, the study finds that commonly prescribed and more expensive drugs had higher rates of utilization management. The study recommends that CMS review all formularies to ensure that "all or substantially all" medications are covered and review utilization management practices to ensure the practices do not restrict patients' access to needed drugs. (9/28/06, Medicare Rights Center)
Tax Cuts: Myths and Realities Because important decisions about a wide array of tax policies must be made in the next few years, it is essential to understand their effects on deficits, the economy, and the distribution of income. Supporters of the tax cuts have sometimes sought to bolster their case by understating the tax cuts’ costs, overstating their economic effects, or minimizing their regressivity. This fact sheet addresses some of the myths heard most frequently in recent tax-cut debates. (9/27/06, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)
New Listings: Health Insurance, Health Costs, Health Care Reform
No Shelter from the Storm: America's Uninsured Children
In recent years, much attention has been paid to the growing number of Americans who lack health insurance. Unfortunately, less attention has been paid to a startling and often-overlooked fact: One out of every five uninsured Americans is a child. This report takes a closer look at uninsured children—who they are and what kinds of services they miss out on as a result of being uninsured. (9/28/06, Campaign for Children's Health Care)
Hispanics More Likely to Be Uninsured
While most Hispanics work, one-third of the nation's Hispanic population is uninsured, which is more than any other group. (September 2006,Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured)
Health Insurance Premium Growth Moderates Slightly in 2006, but Still Increases Twice as Fast as Wages and Inflation
Enrollment in Consumer-Directed Health Plans Remains Modest At 2.7 Million; Relatively Few Employers Expect To Adopt Such Plans Next Year
Premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage rose an average 7.7 percent in 2006, less than the 9.2 percent increase recorded in 2005 and the recent peak of 13.9 percent in 2003, according to the 2006 Employer Health Benefits Survey. (9/26/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Kaiser Health Care Costs Survey: According to a new survey, health care premiums have climbed twice as fast as wages and inflation in 2006
(Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust)
GAO Study Confirms Health Savings Accounts Primarily Benefit High-Income Individuals
(9/20/06, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)
Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans: Why They Won't Cure What Ails U.S. Health Care
Some maintain that HSAs, coupled with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), are an important part of the solution to our health system's cost, quality, and insurance problems. Asking families to pay more out-of-pocket, the reasoning goes, will create more prudent consumers of health care, driving down cost growth and improving the quality of care as providers compete for patients...But while it is comforting to believe that
such a simple idea could help solve our health care problems, nearly all evidence gathered to date about HSAs and HDHPs points to the contrary. (9/26/06, Senate Committee Hearing)
New Listings: Health Equity Issues
Reifying Human Difference: The Debate on Genetics, Race, and Health
The causes of racial and ethnic inequalities in health and the most appropriate categories to use to address health inequality have been the subject of heated debate in recent years...[Genetic accounts] produce, reify, and naturalize notions of racial difference, provide a scientific rationale for racially targeted medical care, and distract attention from research that probes the complex ways in which political, economic, social, and biological factors, especially those of inequality and racism, cause health disparities. (11/3/06, International Journal of Health Services)
Barriers To Prevention And Treatment Are Leading Contributors To Mental Health Crisis
One in four U.S. adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder, yet they face barriers to equal access to treatment and preventive health services, public health experts said today at a forum releasing new research examining the impact of mental illness on the nation's health. Barriers include stigma and racial and ethnic discrimination. (October 2006, American Journal of Public Health)
Ethnic Disparities In Medicare Claims
African Americans and Latinos are more likely to underestimate how long it has been since their last routine
screening test for disease -- such as a mammogram, Pap smear, or cholesterol test - according to a University of Rochester study that matched patient recollections with Medicare documentation. The study helps to shed light on vexing questions such as why black women are dying from breast cancer in higher numbers than white women, despite national data suggesting that black women are getting screening mammograms, and therefore have the same access to earlier and better detection as white women. (10/3/06, Medical News Today)
Poor Children with Health Insurance Are Healthier
RAND Corporation researchers found that poor children in California who receive government-sponsored health insurance are healthier and do better in school and socially. The study found that children enrolled in Healthy Families, California's version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides low-cost coverage to children in families that make too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private coverage, had fewer problems with access to health care. The program especially benefited Hispanic and black children. (9/8/06, Fresno Bee)
America’s Uninsured Children: Minorities at Greater Risk
Campaign for Children’s Health Care's new fact sheet and report finds that more than 60 percent of the uninsured children in the United States are racial or ethnic minorities.
Despite Equal Cancer Care, a Racial Disparity Persists
Black women with uterine cancer are more likely to die than white women, even when the progression of the disease is equal and they are given identical treatments, researchers report. The racial difference in survival among women with uterine cancer is well known. The American Cancer Society estimates that 7 percent
of the 41,000 cases of endometrial cancer last year were in black women, but they accounted for 14 percent of the 7,000 deaths. According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate is 86 percent for white women and 54 percent for black women. (9/26/06, New York Times)
U.S. Health Care Quality Poor and Leads to Excess Deaths
A Commonwealth Fund report on health quality found that the United States spends twice as much on health care as almost two dozen other industrialized nations in relation to gross domestic product, but has the highest infant mortality rate and lowest life expectancy rate for those over age 60, while 61 million U.S. residents were uninsured or did not have adequate coverage in 2003. (9/21/06, BusinessWeek Online)
Strategies for Improving Latino Healthcare in America
The Latino Healthcare Taskforce's charge was to analyze key challenges facing Latino healthcare and offer recommendations on how best to meet them. The Taskforce sought to: Identify barriers that could impact strategies and action plans, primarily at the federal level, Propose alternative solutions to issues at all levels, and Provide action recommendations to President Bush, as well as to community, governmental agency and congressional leaders. (September 2006, Latino Healthcare Taskforce)
New Report: Health Coverage and Access to Care for Hispanics
As America's Hispanic population grows and moves beyond urban centers, a new report assesses the implications for access to health care. It finds that Hispanics in "new growth communities" face greater barriers to health care than those in cities considered "major Hispanic centers" (major centers). Many of these "new growth communities" are smaller urban and rural communities in areas of the country that previously had a very small Hispanic population and thus have less experience caring for a diverse population. (9/21/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)
Rate of Latinos with Diabetes Almost Double Those of Non-Latino Whites
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) calls for increased awareness of diabetes and its complications among Hispanic and Latino populations. The risk of type 2 diabetes is significantly higher in Hispanic/Latino Americans than whites - Mexican Americans are 1.7 times as likely and Puerto Ricans are 1.8 as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.(9/29/06, Medical News Today)
New Listings: Other Health Issues
National Survey of Children’s Health, 2003 Florida State Profile Children ages 0-17
The Future of Drug Safety. Action Steps for Congress
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) doesn't yet have the necessary resources and clout to monitor the safety of new medications and respond effectively when something goes wrong, said a panel of experts from The Institute of Medicine in a new report. The report recommends, among other things, that: the FDA receive more money; all newly-approved drugs be reviewed after five years; all newly-approved drugs carry a symbol for two years; and advertising of all newly-approved drugs be restricted. (September 2006, Institute of Medicine)
Safe Blood Lead Levels Linked To Risk Of Death
Researchers studied lead levels below 10 micrograms per deciliter which previously has been considered safe. The levels studied are common and considerably lower than lead levels perceived by the government as a concern to public health. The researcher said, "Since 38 percent of U.S. adults had lead levels above 2 ig/dL in 1999-2002, the public health implications of these findings are substantial." (9/19/06, Science Daily)
Florida Reports
State of Working Florida 2006
Research Insitute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP)'s annual Labor Day report reviews economic data to provide a comprehensive picture of workers and their families. Data on wages, employment, industries, and benefits show how workers are faring in Florida 's economy. Key 2006 findings include: almost 20% of Florida’s residents had no healthcare coverage in 2002-2005, worse than all but two of the nation’s states; median wage well below national norms; drop in family incomes; positive outcomes from new state minimum wage law.
Florida Dept of Health HIV/AIDS Report on Racial Disparities
Florida Department of Health today has released a report entitled, "Silence is Death: The Crisis of HIV/AIDS in Florida's Black Communities." The report focuses on white, black and Hispanic persons living with HIV/AIDS (reported cases). The report quantifies racial/ethnic disparities and ranks the top 20 counties in the state accordingly. A set of recommendations to combat HIV/AIDS is a key part of the report. "It is unacceptable that for 15 years in a row, HIV/AIDS has been the leading cause of death among black Floridians aged 25-44 years," said DOH Secretary M. Rony François, M.D., M.S.P.H., Ph.D. "It is time for us to mobilize communities and all those who have a stake in the epidemic to find innovative ways to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality."
New report looks at uninsured in Florida
This report from the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at FIU documents and breaks down Florida's uninsured figures, finding 18.5% of the total Florida population uninsured. The report looks at employment and industry data related to lack of coverage, and proposes a partial solution.
Grading State Systems for Adults with Serious Mental Illness
A National Alliance on Mental Illness report grades each state's public mental health system for adults with serious mental illness, and assigns the nation an overall grade of D. The report grades states on 39 criteria in the areas of infrastructure, information access, services and recovery.
Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIPS
Danger Looms for Children's Health Care in 2007
The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a program created in 1997 to expand health care coverage to the millions of uninsured children living in the U.S., faces federal funding shortfalls for fiscal year 2007. These shortfalls are quite alarming; especially at a time when the Census Bureau is reporting that the number of children without health insurance grew to over 8 million in 2005, the first time the proportion of uninsured children has risen since 1998. For years, SCHIP allowed more children to receive coverage, bucking the trend of declining health insurance among adults. But now, insufficient federal funding for SCHIP has started to make things worse, with 17-18 states unlikely to be able to sustain their existing SCHIP programs in fiscal year 2007. Currently, thanks to SCHIP, over 4 million low-income children who might otherwise not be able to receive proper health care are able to see a doctor and entitled to immunizations, regular checkups, and hospital care. Unfortunately, due to the way SCHIP is financed some of these children may be forced to join the ranks of the uninsured by the end of this year. (9/19/06, Coalition on Human Needs)
The State of Kids’ Coverage
The percentage of children without health insurance decreased by more than 20% from 1997 to 2004.For the study, researchers combined survey results from 1997 to 1998 and 2003 to 2004 and then compared them. The data come from census figures. According to the researchers, the decline in rates of uninsured children is attributable to SCHIP, which has been available in every state since 1997. The program covers those children whose parents have annual incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private insurance. Researchers found that the percentage of children with private health insurance declined in nearly every state, but the percentage with SCHIP coverage or Medicaid increased in all but four states. Researchers found that eight million children still go without any health insurance, and about 70% of those children are eligible for coverage. The study finds that one in four children without health insurance receives no medical care each year, compared with one in eight children with health insurance. (8/9/06, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Closing the Gaps in Child Health Coverage
Every year, millions of children temporarily lose their health coverage under public insurance programs, only to be reenrolled later in the same program or a different one. According to two different Fund-supported reports, coverage gaps are often a byproduct of the cumbersome coverage renewal processes families must periodically undergo, or of unnecessarily complicated transitions from one program to another. (August 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Trends in Manufacturer Prices of Brand-Name Prescription Drugs Used by Older Americans – Second Quarter 2006 Update
“Through the end of the second quarter of 2006, annual increases in manufacturer prices charged to wholesalers and other direct purchasers for widely used brand-name prescription drugs, on average, continued to substantially exceed the rate of general inflation. In addition, the average annual rate of price increase for the 12-month period ending in June 2006 (6.3 percent) is higher than the 6.0 percent average increase for the 12 months ending in December 2005.” (September 2006, AARP)
Pharmaceutical Industry Profits Increase by Over $8 Billion After Medicare Drug Plan Goes Into Effect
“The ten largest pharmaceutical companies enjoyed substantial profit increases in the first six months of the new Medicare drug program. In the first half of 2006, profits for these companies increased by over $8 billion, a 27% increase” (September 2006, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform)
Three-Fourths of Beneficiaries Enrolled in Medicare Part D Are Satisfied with Their Drug Plan
According to the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Medicare Part D Beneficiary Satisfaction Study(SM), almost 70 percent of individuals enrolled in a Part D plan said they are either paying the same as or more than what they were paying for prescriptions before the benefit (9/19/06, J.D. Power and Associates)
Defined-Contribution Plans and Limited-Benefit Arrangements: Implications for Medicaid Beneficiaries
This policy brief examines changes to Medicaid that limit benefits, coverage and spending and identifies issues that states should consider when redesigning Medicaid programs, particularly when developing consumer-driven or defined-contribution programs. According to the brief, any changes to Medicaid should combine "innovations with accountability, patient safety and the ability to measure efficiency, costs and quality within markets." In addition, changes should take into account beneficiaries' health risks and needs and how health plans can attract and retain quality care providers. The brief was supported by America's Health Insurance Plans. (9/13/06, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services)
The Illusion of Choice: Vulnerable Medicaid Beneficiaries Being Placed in Scaled-Back “Benchmark” Benefit Packages
The Deficit Reduction Act, signed into law in February 2006, permits states to vary the benefit packages they offer to some groups of Medicaid beneficiaries. States can require most children and parents to enroll in new “benchmark” benefit packages that do not provide all the benefits covered by regular Medicaid. These benchmark benefit packages must receive federal approval. However, CMS has given states greater flexibility than Congress intended, by allowing them to offer exempt beneficiaries the choice of enrolling in a benchmark package or remaining in regular Medicaid. CMS has now made it possible for states to disregard the protections that Congress intended to provide in exempting various groups of beneficiaries from the benchmark plans. There is considerable risk that beneficiaries in states which Congress intended to exempt will be “opted-in” to scaled-back benefit packages that do not meet their needs, and that Congress’s clear intent to provide these vulnerable beneficiaries with full Medicaid coverage and protections may be negated. (9/14/06, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)
Census Data, Economic Analysis
Comprehensive source of Hispanic data
Recent release from the Census Bureau with data and linkage to sources covering many areas.
No Progress in Reducing Poverty, While Incomes Stagnate for Most Americans
The Census Bureau's 2005 Income, Poverty and Health Insurance data indicate that, despite an economic recovery that has been increasing wealth for the richest Americans for the past four years, poverty remained stubbornly persistent for 37 million, and earnings for men and women working full-time fell again. Coalition on Human Needs analyses show: (8/29/06, Coalition on Human Needs)
Federal Budget/Health Care
Health Insurance, Health Costs, Health Care Reform, Budget
Measures to Boost Insurance Coverage of Latinos
A report from the Latino Coalition, a Hispanic advocacy group, found that the growing number of uninsured Latinos could be curtailed if the government offered tax incentives to small businesses that offer coverage, as well as tax credits for health savings accounts. (9/14/06, Houston Chronicle)
Coverage for Mental Health Treatment: Do the Gaps Still Persist?
Privately insured consumers seeking treatment for mental health and substance abuse problems still have to pay more out-of-pocket than do patients receiving other medical services care patients, despite state laws mandating equal coverage for both types of care, according to a new study by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (September 2006, Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics)
Number of Uninsured Americans at All-time High
Data released by the Census Bureau show that the number of uninsured Americans stood at a record 46.6 million in 2005, with 15.9 percent of Americans lacking health coverage. "The number of uninsured Americans reached an all-time high in 2005," said Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "It is sobering that 5.4 million more people lacked health insurance in 2005 than in the recession year of 2001, primarily because of the erosion of employer-based insurance." (8/29/06, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
Is Health Insurance Affordable for the Uninsured?
The study examines the meaning of health care "affordability." The authors examine the relationship between the cost of coverage and the number of uninsured, finding that health insurance was affordable to about one-quarter to three-quarters of uninsured U.S. residents. The authors conclude that subsidized insurance will not necessarily decrease the number of uninsured if those who can afford to purchase insurance choose not to and that individual mandates to purchase insurance might be the most appropriate way for policymakers to ensure a decrease in uninsured rates. (July 2006, Journal of Health Economics)
Middle-Class Families Attest to "Serious" Problems Paying for Medical Expenses
This study found that nearly half of adults in families earning between $35,000 and $49,000 a year reported a "somewhat serious or very serious" problem paying their medical bills, and one-third of families earning between $50,000 and $75,000 a year reported similar problems. (8/17/06, Commonwealth Fund)
U.S. Public Sees Need for Major Health Care Reform
Most U.S. adults think the nation's health system is in need of an overhaul, according to a new survey from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System. Forty-two percent of respondents reported experiencing poorly coordinated, inefficient, or unsafe care. (8/17/06, Commonwealth Fund)
The Coverage Gap: A State-by-State Report on Access to Care
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) – a national survey of preventive and health risk behaviors – the researchers analyzed health disparities between insured and uninsured adults. Using data from the US Census Bureau Current Population Survey from 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005, they also looked at the number of Americans age 50-64 that are without health care coverage.
Health Equity Issues
Eight Americas: Investigating Mortality Disparities across Races, Counties, and Race-Counties in the United States
America is a nation divided by vast differences in life expectancy, a "longevity gap" that can't be readily explained by race, income or access to health care. In fact, when viewed through the prism of life expectancy, there are eight Americas, with decades separating groups consisting of millions of people. The research team examined state and county life expectancies, the risk of death from specific diseases, health insurance and access to health care for major population groups from 1980 to 2001. They found that life expectancy differences are driven mainly by chronic diseases in young and middle-aged adults. Income, infant mortality, violence and HIV/AIDS, which now responds to drugs, played less of a role. (September 2006, PLOS Medicine)
Many Adults Need Help Understanding Basic Medical Instructions, As Most Are Written At Above-Average Level
Anew report found that fewer than one in six U.S. adults have proficient health literacy. According to the report, most participants had intermediate health literacy, which mean that most U.S. adults will find it difficult to use health-related materials accurately and consistently. (9/6/06, National Center for Education Statistics)
The Rising Prevalence of Severe Poverty in America: A Growing Threat to Public Health
Since 2000, Americans have been getting poorer, and national rates of severe poverty have climbed sharply, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The researchers reported that the growth in the poverty rate is due largely to a rise in severe poverty and that "moderate" poverty has grown little. The study found that children under age 5 are twice as likely to be living in severe poverty as the rest of the population. "In 2004, one of three Americans with incomes less than 50% of the poverty threshold--5.6 million people--was a child." Severe poverty is also dramatically worse among African Americans and Hispanics, and minority children therefore face the greatest risk. The researchers reported that children account for 45% of Hispanic and African Americans living in severe poverty. Likely health consequences include a higher prevalence of chronic illnesses, more frequent and severe disease complications, and increased demands and costs for healthcare services. Adverse effects on children carry long-term implications. The researchers describe a "sinkhole effect," in which "families and individuals in the middle and upper classes appear to be migrating to lower income tiers that bring them closer to the poverty threshold." (October 2006, American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
Health Care Disconnect: Gaps in Coverage and Care for Minority Adults
Analysis of the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey (2005) finds that uninsured rates for Hispanic and African American adults are one-and-a-half to three times greater than the rate for white adults. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of working-age Hispanics and one-third (33%) of African Americans were uninsured at some point during 2005, compared with 20 percent of working-age whites. (August 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health: Unfinished Business
This final report of an Institute of Medicine committee charged with assessing the NIH Strategic Plan to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities is now available. The report recommends ways to improve oversight and coordination of the Strategic Plan and to assure that needed research on health disparities is being carried out as effectively and expeditiously as possible. The recommendations are intended to help NIH achieve its minority health and health disparity Strategic Plan objectives. (Institute of Medicine)
The 2005 National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and 2005 National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) are now available on AHRQ's Web Site. The 2005 NHQR is a comprehensive national overview of quality of health care in the United States. The 2005 NHDR tracks disparities in both quality of and access to health care in the United States for both the general population and for congressionally designated priority populations.
Other Health Issues
Why Not the Best? Results from a National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance
High Performance Health System, the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance is the first-ever comprehensive means of measuring and monitoring health care outcomes, quality, access, efficiency, and equity in one report. Its findings indicate that America's health system falls far short of what is attainable, especially given the resources the nation invests. (September 2006, Commonwealth Fund)
New Study Shows that Political Ideology Impacts Public Health
A new study entitled Politics and Health Outcomes, published in Lancet, makes an empirical link between a government's political ideology and the health of its citizens.... [T]hese results have tremendous implications and could encourage government to address social inequalities to improve public health[.] (9/14/06, CNW Group)
The Oral Health of Children A Portrait of States and the Nation 2005
The Health Resources and Services Administration presents this chartbook highlighting the major findings of the National Survey of Children's Health on children's oral health. This survey, the first of its kind, presents national- and State-level information on the health and well-being of children and their use of health services, including oral health and dental care. The survey includes many positive findings about children's oral health.
STATE HEALTH EVENTS AND NOTICES
October 5, 2006
NORTH FLORIDA
Advocacy for Progress for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
Oct. 13 10 am-noon Pensacola Jr. College Hagler Auditorium
The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, the District One Family Care Council, and the Autism Society of the Panhandle are jointly sponsoring this Grassroots Seminar. For further information, or if you require an accommodation to attend and participate, call 850/623-9320.
Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Board of Directors Meeting
Nov. 8 10:00 am-2:00 pm Tallahassee
All interested parties are invited. If you plan on attending, please reply to floyda@healthykids.org.
Social Justice Regional Gathering
Nov. 11 (rescheduled) North Florida Gathering
Social justice activist groups, organizations and individuals are gathering to expand and connect the social justice network across the state. The goal is to pool collective resources to create a cohesive progressive movement in Florida that will be heard. For more information, click here or call 305/598-1404
Developmental Disabilities Guardian Training
Jan. 19-20 Tallahassee
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council is sponsoring training workshops to empower families to become more knowledgeable about navigating the legal system. This is particularly important because there is a scarcity of attorneys with the necesary knowledge and experience. There is no fee for consumers and family members. Travel reimbursement is available. However, you must register using this form or online. For more information, call 305/243-6397, or email JSherman@med.miami.edu.
WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
Choosing the Best Medicare Plan D for You
Oct. 24 1:30 pm DeSoto County Health Department, 34 S. Baldwin Ave.
DeSoto Health Resources will be offering this seminar. Also available at this meeting will be DeSoto Health Resources, Inc. associates with laptop computers to help provide individual sign up if desired by any of those attending. The goal is to make sure information on choosing the plan best for each individual before the Dec. 31 deadline is available. For more information, call 863/494-1351.
Zero Exposure Project: Pregnancy, Alcohol & Substances: Strategies for Prevention
Oct. 27 9:00 am-1:00 pm Twin Lakes Pk., Green Bldg. Conf. Rm., 6700 Clark Rd., Sarasota
The Zero Exposure Project is based on the vision that every child in a community is born substance-free and lives in a family that promotes healthy growth and development. The Zero Exposure Project and the March of Dimes are sponsoring this complimentary workshop and luncheon to teach how to: 1) Raise awareness of the consequences of alcohol and substance abuse before and during pregnancy; 2) Increase health education and referral services available to pregnant women; 3) Develop a community education campaign addressing substance abuse and pregnancy. Click here for the workshop brochure including registration form, or call 866/217-0020 ext. 129
Developmental Disabilities Guardian Training
Dec. 1-2 Tampa
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council is sponsoring training workshops to empower families to become more knowledgeable about navigating the legal system. This is particularly important because there is a scarcity of attorneys with the necesary knowledge and experience. There is no fee for consumers and family members. Travel reimbursement is available. However, you must register using this form or online. For more information, call 305/243-6397, or email JSherman@med.miami.edu.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Board of Directors Meeting
Oct. 25 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club
All interested parties are invited. If you plan on attending, please reply to floyda@healthykids.org.
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Events
Social Justice Regional Gathering
Oct. 7 South Florida Gathering
Social justice activist groups, organizations and individuals are gathering to expand and connect the social justice network across the state. The goal is to pool collective resources to create a cohesive progressive movement in Florida that will be heard.
For more information, click here or call 305/598-1404
Passing the Torch from Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month to Breast Cancer Awareness Month®
Oct. 7 6:00–9:00 pm Ft. Lauderdale, Las Olas Riverfront Mall Gazebo
Passing of the Torch highlights the hereditary link between breast and ovarian cancer, honors cancer survivors and those at high risk, remembers those whose lives have been lost to cancer, and recognizes families that have been affected by cancer. Local experts and survivors will speak about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The event is free of charge. Valet parking available for $8 at Marriott Waterside. For more information, click here.
Worksite Wellness Forum
Oct. 12 2:00 pm Dept. of Health, 8323 NW 12th St, Miami.
The Worksite Wellness Committee of the Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade's next meeting focus will be on incentives for participation in health promotion programs, including linking health promotion to benefits.
Miami-Dade Healthcare Access & Policy Summit: For Healthcare Providers and the Community
Oct. 14, 21 & 22 HSC, Miami
Participants will learn about healthcare policies and advocacy efforts at a training on Saturday, Oct. 14 at HSC. Then on Oct. 21 & 22 join experts and advocates in a discussion about developing community goals and barriers to access.
Zero Exposure Project: Pregnancy, Alcohol & Substances: Strategies for Prevention
Oct. 19 or Oct. 20 9:30 am-1:30 pm Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade, 701 SW 27th Ave., Miami
The Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD) and the Zero Exposure Project, an initiative of the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County are collaborating on the vision of the Zero Exposure Project: that every child in a community is born substance-free and lives in a family that promotes healthy growth and development.The Zero Exposure Project is based on the vision that every child in a community is born substance-free and lives in a family that promotes healthy growth and development. The Zero Exposure Project and the March of Dimes are sponsoring this complimentary workshop and luncheon to teach how to: 1) Raise awareness of the consequences of alcohol and substance abuse before and during pregnancy; 2) Increase health education and referral services available to pregnant women; 3) Develop a community education campaign addressing substance abuse and pregnancy. Click here for the workshop brochure including registration form, or call 866/217-0020 ext. 129
Building a Livable Community for All: Creating Connections, Strengthening Skills and Implementing Best Practices: Alliance for Human Services 4th Annual Institute
October 27 Miami Beach Convention Center
Over 400 individuals (business leaders, social service providers, not-for-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, human service consumers) will gather to discuss and receive valuable information and innovative solutions on social service issues. The Alliance is dedicated to improving quality of life for Miami-Dade County residents through partnerships, coordination of resources, and community involvement. For more information, call 305/646-7274 or write ggrey@alliance4hs.org.
Champions for Children Awards Ceremony 2006
Nov. 9 11:30 am - 2:00 pm Parrot Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom
The Children's Trust presents this second annual event. Invitations will follow.
Developmental Disabilities Guardian Training
Nov. 17-18 Fort Lauderdale
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council is sponsoring training workshops to empower families to become more knowledgeable about navigating the legal system. This is particularly important because there is a scarcity of attorneys with the necesary knowledge and experience. There is no fee for consumers and family members. Travel reimbursement is available. However, you must register using this form or online. For more information, call 305/243-6397, or email JSherman@med.miami.edu.
Notices
Health Council of South Florida leader opinion survey
The Council is conducting a leader opinion survey about health issues in Miami-Dade County. The results will help serve the needs of residents.
Center for Positive Connections Expands Services
The nonprofit Center, located in North Miami, has announced that it now offers holistic as well as educational and social services and support to those infected or affected by chronic illnesses such as Cancer, Hepatitis C, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Crohn's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as continuing services for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
New Healthy Start Coalition Of Miami-Dade Website LAUNCHED! The website at www.hscmd.org will increase community awareness about the Healthy Start Coalition’s activities and accomplishments, and serve the women, infants and families of Miami-Dade County.
STATEWIDE
Events
36th Annual National Black Child Development Institute
Oct. 22-24 Hyatt Regency Miami
Every year thousands of educators and professionals in early care and education; elementary and secondary education and administration; child welfare and youth development; research; and local, state, and federal policy convene to gain knowledge and acquire the skills needed to ensure a quality future (including health) for all children and youth. Advance fee offer ends Sept. 25. Read more or register online.
Quality Summit: Improving Health Care for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations
Dec. 13-14 Miami Beach, Florida
The Quality Summit, Improving Health Care for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations, is for Medicaid and commercial health plans, state Medicaid agencies, providers, and other organizations committed to reducing health care disparities and improving care for racially and ethnically diverse populations. The Quality Summit will offer a national showcase of best practices in reducing disparities and improving health care quality for all. The Quality Summit is made possible with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund.
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.
12th Annual Children's Week
March 25-April 1, 2007 Tallahassee
Click here for details.
Notices
Send Back-to-School Activities Info to Florida Covering Kids and Families
Each year, Florida Covering Kids and Families collects information regarding Back-to-School activities. They would like to learn about and recognize your efforts to help families enroll in Florida KidCare. Please send the following information to pcannon@health.usf.edu: 1) County and name of organization; 2) Number of applications distributed (at events, in school or other mailings, and by any other means); 3) Number of applications completed (at events or other means); 4) What kind of events and how many? Please be as specific as possible in the number of applications and how you distributed and collected them.
Florida Cancer Clinical Trials Cooperative, Inc. (FCCTC) is a public resource that provides information about cancer clinical trials to Florida residents. They have a web-based and a phone-based Clinical Trial Matching Service that provides users with an opportunity to search for cancer clinical trials for which they might be eligible. The program allows people to print (or be mailed) information about potential trials to discuss with their physicians. The Florida Dialogue on Cancer established the FCCTC in 2004 and received a federal grant to create a clinical trials information system in Florida. Their data base includes current information about clinical trials at hospitals and research facilities throughout the state, including pediatric cancer trials. Information is available in English and Spanish. Go to http://www.floridacancertrials.com or call 1/800-584-9976
NATIONAL EVENTS AND NOTICES
October 5, 2006
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Against Health: Resisting the Invisible Morality
Oct.12-13 Ann Arbor, MI
The conference will call on the expertise of a vast array of disciplines to examine the ways in which the category of "health," the norms associated with "health," and the social functioning of those norms are, in some instances, at odds with human well being. Of particular interest are the ways that certain appeals to health risk authorizing, justifying, and immunizing from possible criticism an array of practices and power relations that would otherwise be vulnerable to challenge.
Community Benefit 101: the Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit
Oct. 17 Chicago
Feb. 2007 Baltimore
April 2007 San Francisco
Catholic Health Association, leader in the community benefit field for 20 years, is offering a seminar that covers the basics of community benefit in not-for-profit health care. This event presents a valuable introduction for persons new to the topic and a useful review for those who are already doing the work of community benefit planning an reporting.
Health Disparities and Cardiometabolic Disease: Addressing the Epidemic
Oct. 19-21 Atlanta
This Morehouse School of Medicine symposium is designed to stimulate and promote discussion about scientific research on prevention, evaluation, and management of patients at high risk of developing cardio-metabolic diseases and its risk factors. The symposium is multifaceted and includes poster presentations, community education, health screening activities and a Friday dinner presentation on local communities' strategies to address obesity.
The Changing Face of Health Education and Health Promotion
Call for Abstracts Deadline: Oct. 20
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.
The Health Disparities 2006 Conference: Partnering for Practical Solutions
Oct. 27 Falls Church, VA
The focus of this conference is to educate health care providers about state and regional disparities, to prioritize the identified disparities and to create multidisciplinary action teams, which will address disparities in health.
Mobilizing Partnerships for Social Change
Call for Proposals deadline: Oct. 6
April 11-14 Toronto
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health is convening its 10th annual conference to nurture a growing network of community-campus partnerships that are striving to achieve the systems and policy changes needed to address the root causes of health, social and economic inequalities. The conference seeks to build knowledge, skills and actions for achieving healthy and just societies.
NIH Conference on Understanding and Reducing Disparities in Health: Behavioral and Social Science - Research Contributions
Poster Session Deadline: Sept. 8
Oct. 23-24 Bethesda, MD
The National Institutes of Health conference focuses on three broad areas of action influencing health disparities: policy, prevention, and healthcare. It emphasize both basic research on the behavioral, social, and biomedical pathways giving rise to disparities in health and applied research on the development, testing, and delivery of interventions to reduce disparities in these three action areas.
Advancing Science-Based Prevention: Creating Real World Solutions
Presentation Application Deadline: Oct.16
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.
36th Annual National Black Child Development Institute
Oct. 22-24 Hyatt Regency Miami
Every year thousands of educators and professionals in early care and education; elementary and secondary education and administration; child welfare and youth development; research; and local, state, and federal policy convene to gain knowledge and acquire the skills needed to ensure a quality future (including health) for all children and youth. Advance fee offer ends Sept. 25. Read more or register online.
2006 ESRI Health GIS Conference
Oct. 23–26 Denver
This conference will offer a forum for Health professionals to share information on geographic information system (GIS) technology as a framework for managing and sharing geospatial data and methods for community health programs, health care delivery, hospitals, epidemiology, disease surveillance, health research, and more.
National Prevention Summit: Prevention, Preparedness, and Promotion
October 26-27 Washington, DC
The 2006 National Prevention Summit will focus on disease prevention, health preparedness, and health promotion and will feature innovative programs that are making a difference in communities across the country to build a HealthierUS. These programs are focused on healthy lifestyle choices. One special emphasis this year will be the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity. Another emphasis will be on preparing for public health emergencies, such as avian influenza.
Health as a Human Right: Health Education, Equality and Social Justice for All
November 2-4 Boston
Society for Public Health Education’s 57th Annual Meeting will examine the impact of reciprocal influences of health and human rights, including the impact public health programs and policies have on human rights and health disparities, the consequences human rights violations have on health, the importance of health in realizing human rights, and the ways in which health educators can ensure that human rights are integrated into public health strategies to eliminate disparities.
Making Methods and Practice Matter for Women, Children and Families
December 6–8 Atlanta
Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology (MCH EPI) conference organizers invite you to join MCH professionals in sharing experiences, enhancing knowledge, and generating new ideas for improved MCH data use and informed policymaking.
Spring Training for Health Champions
March 7-9 New Orleans
The Association for Community Health Improvement is now accepting breakout session proposals for its 2007 conference. Topic tracks include: access to care; chronic disease prevention and management; community benefit excellence; and community health assessments.
AUDIO AND WEB EVENTS
Black Women’s Health Imperative: Standing Up to Osteoporosis
Oct. 10 Noon EDT
An educational, audio-teleconference on osteoporosis. Ask questions and listen in while noted health care professionals answer pressing health questions on the topic. Please submit questions today, and encourage friends and family to also register for this free event. Click here to submit questions and RSVP.
Chicago's Comprehensive Youth Obesity Prevention Collaborative
Oct. 17 2:00 pm ET, 1:00 pm CT
Join this free CDC-sponsored Audio Conference call for insight into Chicago's comprehensive and collaborative youth obesity prevention network, which addresses childhood obesity prevention through clinical, research, and advocacy/public education projects and initiatives. This inclusive undertaking of research, education, health promotion, policy and results measurement, involves a vast partnership of schools, business, community groups and government, easily garnering city-wide support. Learn how this project includes social marketing to 'sell' healthy lifestyles for young children, the drafting and passage of legislation that supports the community-level efforts and more. To register, write communityhlth@aha.org with the session title in the subject line and your contact information in the body.
NOTICES
"When an Apple a Day Isn't Enough" National Essay Contest
Sept. 5 - Oct. 31
Do you think all children should have access to health care?
The Campaign for Children's Health Care wants to generate awareness among America's youth about the importance of providing health coverage to all young people. Their hope is that this contest will give voice to the insights of our nation's youth and help educate policy makers at both the state and national levels. Ages 9-18 are asked to explain how the ability to obtain the health services they need affects their lives and those around them. Winners will be selected from two age groups in each state: 9-13 and 14-18. State winners will receive $250 in cash, and winning essays will be published in a Campaign booklet. Grand Prize winners (and a parent or guardian) will receive $2,500 and a trip to Washington, D.C. for an awards ceremony in Feb. 2007. One teacher or program facilitator for each Grand Prize winner will also receive an overnight trip to D.C. and will be recognized . The school or organization that submits the most entries will receive a $2,000 cash award for school supplies.
Cover the Uninsured Week
April 23-29, 2007
Mark your calendars and visit www.CoverTheUninsured.org where information will be posted as plans for 2007 develop. Sign up for the Cover the Uninsured Week Weekly News Digest for the latest news and updates on the issue of the uninsured.
CAMPAIGNS AND INITIATIVES
Campaign for Children’s Health Care
Launched on July 11
The Campaign for Children's Health Care is a nationwide public education campaign designed to raise awareness about the 9 million children who do not have health insurance and the millions more who are underinsured. The campaign is dedicated to making high-quality, comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage for all of America’s children a top national priority.
OCTOBER
National Child Health Day: October 2
For materials: 301/443-2170 www.mchb.hrsa.gov
National Depression Screening Day: October 5
For materials: 781/239-0071 info@mentalhealthscreening.org www.mentalhealthscreening.org
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
"Knowledge is Power. Get the Facts. Get Tested for HIV"
October 15
Partners throughout the country will host press conferences, health fairs, HIV testing initiatives, roundtable discussions, town hall meetings, and dialogue with elected officials to raise awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS the Hispanic/Latino (a) community.
National Health Education Week: October 16-20
For materials: 212/463-4053 ray@nche.org www.nche.org
National Mammography Day: October 20
For materials: 800/ACS-2345 www.cancer.org
Healthy Lung Month: October
For materials: 800/LUNG-USA (586-4872) info@lungusa.org www.lungusa.org
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: October
For materials: 312/596-3400 nbcaminfo@yahoo.com www.nbcam.org/about_nbcam.cfm
National Family Sexuality Education Month: October
For materials: 212/541-7800 education@ppfa.org www.plannedparenthood.org
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month: October
For materials: 800/221-7437 info@firstcandle.org www.firstcandle.org
Children's Health Month: October
For materials: 202/564-2188 www.childrenshealth.gov
National Hospice Month: November
For materials: 703/837-1500 nhpcoinfo@nhpco.org www.nhpco.org
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month: November
For materials: 877/272-6226 information@pancan.org www.pancan.org
Lung Cancer Awareness Month: November
For materials: 800/298-2436 info@lungcanceralliance.org www.lungcanceralliance.org
National Family Caregivers Month: November
For materials: 800/896-3650 info@thefamilycaregiver.org www.thefamilycaregiver.org
American Diabetes Month: November
For materials: 800/DIABETES askada@diabetes.org www.diabetes.org
National Epilepsy Awareness Month: November
For materials: 800/332-1000 postmaster@efa.org www.epilepsyfoundation.org
Prematurity Awareness Month: November
Prematurity Awareness Day: Nov. 21
For materials: 888/MODIMES askus@marchofdimes.com www.marchofdimes.com
Great American Smokeout: Nov. 16
For materials: 800/ACS-2345 www.cancer.org
World AIDS Day: Dec. 1
For materials: unaids@unaids.org www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
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