November 30, 2006
 

Medically Needy:  TAKE ACTION
FL Website Compares Health Plans

FL Children's Week Begins March 25  

 

Florida Medicaid Consumers Cannot Find Specialists

 

An article published by the Palm Beach Post confirms a disturbing trend that many low-income families have long been aware of: Medicaid consumers cannot find medical specialists who will treat them.

 

The November 26 investigative story outlines the plight of families who couldn’t find neurologists, dermatologists, orthopedic surgeons and other specialists – despite initial claims from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) that specialists are plentiful within the state’s Medicaid provider list. The Post reporters called more than 750 specialists listed by the state as Medicaid providers in Palm Beach County and the surrounding area and found that:

  • 24 of the 75 orthopedic surgeons were signed up with Medicaid but none were willing to treat patients.
  • No dermatologists were willing to treat Medicaid patients.
  • Only 11 of the 46 cardiology practices in the region signed up with Medicaid would see Medicaid patients.
  • None of the 13 neurologists and seven psychiatrists accepting Medicaid along the Treasure Cost would see Medicaid patients.
  • Of nine gastroenterologists listed in the Treasure Coast, only one treats Medicaid patients.
  • Only two lung specialists in Palm Beach County and one diabetes specialist were willing to see Medicaid patients.

Presented with the findings, AHCA officials noted that many specialists agree to become Medicaid providers so they can be reimbursed for treating Medicaid patients in the emergency room. “Many of the doctors on our list have not opened their office doors to Medicaid recipients,” said Tom Arnold, deputy secretary for Medicaid.

 

Widespread problem

 

The problem isn’t limited to medical treatment in South Florida. Medicaid consumers in North Florida experience similar problems finding dentists who will treat them, according to a November 20 story in the Pensacola News-Journal. The reporter found that last year in Santa Rosa County, only 1.1 percent of adult Medicaid patients and 18.6 percent of children received Medicaid-covered dental care. In Escambia County, 7.7 percent of 17,089 adult Medicaid patients and 22 percent of children received dental treatment. The reason? Low Medicaid reimbursement rates, the story concludes.

 

“Dentists can’t afford to keep their doors open just getting 10 cents on the dollar,” said Sen. Durrell Peaden (R-Crestview) a retired physician and member of the Select Committee on Medicaid Reform. “We need more money for these programs.”


For that reason, Peaden curbed legislative efforts to expand a dental pilot project in Miami-Dade County to other counties. “You can’t reform what you’re not funding appropriately to begin with,” Peaden said.

 

Pending lawsuit

 

Similar problems in Oklahoma forced a group of parents to sue health care officials over two years ago, claiming their children were turned away by doctors who refused to provide treatment under that state’s low Medicaid rates. As a result, Medicaid children were denied basic health care services required by federal law, they claimed in their lawsuit. A federal judge agreed, and ordered health care officials to bring payments to Medicaid providers up to the same level as Medicare providers. Oklahoma Legislature earmarked $93 million in May to increase Medicaid payments to participating doctors, hospitals and other providers.

 

A similar lawsuit was filed a year ago in Miami federal court by a group of Florida doctors, dentists and parents. Plaintiffs hope that providers will have the same success as their counterparts in Oklahoma. A federal judge has yet to rule on the case.

 

A budget proposal released in January by Gov. Jeb Bush would have set aside enough money to increase payments to Medicaid providers. The Florida Legislature, however, ignored Gov. Bush’s recommendation.

 

Public Hearing in Ft. Lauderdale on Behavioral Health Services in Medicaid Reform
 
A state agency charged with monitoring behavioral health services under Medicaid reform wants to hear from consumers, advocates and providers.
 
The Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation will hold its quarterly meeting on December 5 and 6 in Fort Lauderdale. A public hearing is scheduled as part of the proceedings to learn how Medicaid reform is affecting treatment programs and services.
 
The hearing is scheduled on December 5 at 3:30 pm at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North, 6650 N. Andrews Ave. Ft. Lauderdale. For more information, call 850/410-1576 or write Ellen_Piekalkiewicz@dcf.state.fl.us.
 
The Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation is a non-profit corporation created by the Legislature to oversee the state's publicly funded substance abuse and mental health services. Its mission is to make annual recommendations to the governor and the Legislature on policies that could improve coordination and effectiveness of the state’s publicly funded mental health and substance abuse systems. Its 12 members board is appointed by the governor and House and Senate leaders. 
 
For more information about Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation, go to www.samhcorp.org.
 
Medically Needy Petition Campaign

A growing statewide grassroots effort is currently being organized within a partnership of advocacy groups called Florida Healthcare Education & Life Preservation (FLHELP). The coalition is sponsoring a petition drive to strongly urge the Florida Legislature to restructure and lower the “share of cost” system to make it easier to receive needed Medicaid benefits. To learn more about this effort and the work of FLHELP contact Mary Ellen Ross at 561/638-0097.
 
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION! Sign an online petition to make it easier for very low income, seriously ill Floridians to receive needed Medicaid benefits.  
 
Consumers Compare Health Plans at AHCA's New Website
 
A consumer-friendly website that helps people compare health plans is Florida’s latest effort to position itself as a leader in the electronic health information arena.The website (www.FloridaCompareCare.gov) is provided by the state Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
 
The site lists health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations and Medicaid and Medicare HMOs in each county. It also includes information such as the premiums charged by each plan, their coverage area and range of benefits. 
 
AHCA already has a site (www.FloridaHealthStat.com) dedicated to helping consumers locate health care facilities in their county and review hospital charges, lengths of stay and infection rates. On its website, AHCA claims to be the first to publish infection rates. The agency also states that it is the first to track pediatric health outcomes, if only for a limited number of diagnoses. 
 
Another website (www.MyFloridaRX.com) allows patients to compare retail prices of commonly used prescription drugs.
 
Statewide network
 
Meanwhile, the agency continues its efforts to create a statewide health information network allowing doctors to track care provided to patients. AHCA is building the technical infrastructure of the network and has released a 70-page draft of its plan for public review.  AHCA is seeking comments on its draft paper through December 14. Click here to see the paper online.
 
Several hospitals and providers have already teamed up to create regional health information networks. The goal is to eventually expand them statewide. AHCA’s challenge will be to ensure that patient data is protected and that these efforts don’t violate federal patient privacy laws.
 
Consumers beware
 
AHCA’s newest website on health plans includes information about member satisfaction in key areas such as customer service, ease in getting treatment and availability of doctors and specialists. Member satisfaction reports are based on surveys conducted by third-party vendors and the University of Florida earlier this year.
 
The website’s information on quality of care, however, is limited to those services that are preventive - breast cancer screening, diabetes care, high blood pressure, prenatal care, Chlamydia screening and long-term asthma care. Consumers should be aware that these indicators are based on 2004 surveys. This means that Medicaid HMOs structured under the state’s Medicaid reform pilot projects are not included. Enrollment figures for each plan are based on 2005 figures, and premium costs are updated daily.  

Children’s Week Begins March 25 in Tallahassee

Mark your calendars for the 12th annual Children’s Week, which offers non-profit organizations and children’s advocates an opportunity to highlight their efforts before the state Legislature.

The week-long event at the Capitol begins March 25 with the traditional “Hanging of the Hands” paper cutouts in the Capitol Rotunda of children’s hands sent by hundreds of schools, child care centers and various organizations. This colorful display is a reminder to legislators that the policies they make in Tallahassee literally touch thousands of children across the state.

A “Hanging of the Hands” Dedication Ceremony and press conference will take place Tuesday, March 27. Hundreds of parents, teachers, advocates, children and community leaders will gather at the state Capitol for a day filled with educational and interactive games and activities.

The week culminates with Parents and Children’s Day on Sunday, April 1. 

Children’s Week serves as a way for groups to promote the health, safety and well-being of children. Many groups come to the Capitol during that week to meet with lawmakers.

The event operates with private funding from corporations, foundations, non-profit and faith-based organizations. To learn more about donating or becoming a Children’s Week partner, please visit www.childrensweek.org where you can also learn more about local events leading up to Children’s Week.

 
 Mother of Five on Limited Income Victimized by Unrealistic Medicaid Eligibility Requirements

 November 30, 2006

Betty Antoine is a married mother of five living in Plantation, near Fort Lauderdale.

One of Ms. Antoine's children is disabled and receives SSI. Her husband’s employment does not offer health insurance for the family.

At a recent Medicaid recipient roundtable event sponsored by Florida CHAIN, Ms. Antoine discussed her concerns with the effects of reform on her and two of her children who are also Medicaid recipients. Among those concerns, Ms. Antoine was being forced to choose between plans that did not include both her primary care physician and her gynecologist. Both of these had been her trusted doctors for years, but who are now under separate managed care plans. She was especially worried because a few weeks ago her gynecologist detected symptoms of possible cervical cancer. Under those circumstances, Ms. Antoine elected to stay with her gynecologist and selected a plan that excludes her primary care physician. “I had to make a choice, so I did. But I am not happy,” she said.

But her troubles did not end there.  Worrisome as the prospect of the effects of Medicaid reform was to her, she was still covered. Not long after the roundtable event, however, Ms. Antoine was informed that she no longer qualified for Medicaid and would now become part of the “Share of Cost” Medically Needy population. Although this change did not affect her children on Medicaid, the financial burden now imposed on her and her family is causing extreme distress.

“The case manager at DCF (Department of Children and Families, responsible for assessing Medicaid eligibility) told me that I no longer qualified for Medicaid by less than $100 a month in assets. Now I can’t even continue to see my gynecologist, because I am responsible for $1914/month in out of pocket costs that I don’t have,” she told CR. “My only available option is to get medical attention at a free clinic,” she said.

Struggling to pay a $1,400/month mortgage, make copayments on KidCare for her small children, pay utilities and keep her family of 7 clothed and fed on about $1750/month after taxes her husband earns, Ms. Antoine is one of many low and moderate income Floridians buckling under the weight of outdated and unrealistic means of calculating eligibility for help in the face of the actual cost of living in Florida.

CHAIN Reaction contacted DCF on behalf of Ms. Antoine and was told that one remedy available to her is to seek a hearing on her eligibility assessment in the hope that the original calculations were incorrect and she is still Medicaid eligible. She intends to do this.

Medically Needy Petition Campaign

A growing statewide grassroots effort is currently being organized within a partnership of advocacy groups called Florida Healthcare Education & Life Preservation (FLHELP). The coalition is sponsoring a petition drive to strongly urge the Florida Legislature to restructure and lower the “share of cost” system to make it easier to receive needed Medicaid benefits. To learn more about this effort and the work of FLHELP contact Mary Ellen Ross at 561/638-0097. 
 
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION! Sign an online petition to make it easier for very low income, seriously ill Floridians to receive needed Medicaid benefits.  

Florida CHAIN Seeks Stories

Florida CHAIN welcomes contributions from health care consumers who are interested in sharing their experiences with readers of CHAIN Reaction. If you have a story to share, please contact Andrew Leone at 954/684-9895 or andrewl@floridachain.org

 
 

Partner of the Month: Jacksonville Area Legal Aid Services Include Medicaid Reform Advocacy

 

  November 30, 2006


All too often the legal profession gets a bad rap. Sometimes because of dazzling “dream teams” hired by jet setters who give the impression that justice can be bought (such as those who have as much star power as their clients and are regular features on the Nancy Grace’s, Larry King’s and Greta Van Susteren’s cable shows). Sometimes because of images of less than scrupulous lawyers winning cases to line their pockets while helping their clients as an afterthought.

 

Yet, Florida is full examples of thousands of low-income, underrepresented individuals and families who, for civil cases, rely on the help of legal teams that are in it for all the right reasons: the regional Legal Aid organizations and Florida Legal Services. Although Florida CHAIN works closely with many of these in matters related to health care advocacy, access and policy, this month we highlight the work being done by the Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. (JALA).

 

Since 1976, JALA’s mission has been to assist “our low-income neighbors in our community with civil legal problems. With thirty attorneys and a thirty year history of providing high-quality legal representation in a variety of service areas, JALA is an integral part of our community’s infrastructure.”
 
JALA’s span of issues, like other similar organizations, covers the gamut from housing and employment discrimination to immigrant and refugee rights.  Health care access is also a big part JALA’s work.

 

In 2005, the Florida Legislature designated Duval as one of the pilot counties (together with Broward) where Medicaid reform—the privatization of health care services previously paid for by the state—was to begin. In July 2007, Nassau, Clay and Baker Counties, in the Jacksonville area, are scheduled to follow suit.

 

JALA, in partnership with Florida Legal Services provides legal advocacy on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries affected by Medicaid reform through its Medicaid Reform Project.  Its advocacy includes direct client advocacy, representation at fair hearings, assessment of administrative remedies to Medicaid reform and providing beneficiaries a platform to voice concerns to public officials.

 

According to staff attorney Sarah Sullivan, Esq. “JALA and FLS can be the conduit between social advocacy and the Medicaid beneficiaries' access to justice.  It is vital that medical providers and/or social service agencies addressing the needs of Medicaid Reform beneficiaries–whose clients are adversely affected by Medicaid Reform in Duval County– contact us at our dedicated helpline at 904/394-0042.” 

 

JALA is planning a Town Hall Meeting on health care to be held in January 2007 to give beneficiaries a chance to share their stories on Medicaid reform.

 

JALA is also active with the Medicaid Reform Advocates Coalition (MRAC) in Broward and Duval, in its efforts to coordinate statewide advocacy efforts on behalf of the most vulnerable Medicaid consumers.

 

For more information on Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, visit http://www.jaxlegalaid.org/v2/index.html.

 
  RECENT HEALTH ARTICLES

November 30, 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

FLORIDA NEWS & OPINIONS

 

KidCare and SCHIP

 

Medicare and Medicaid

 

Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost

 

Medicare Part D major disaster for chronically ill
Once able to get help with medical bills, residents now caught in gray area as their health declines
They are at wit's end when medical bills arrive in the mail that Medicaid used to pay. There is no way many of the 38,000 chronically ill Florida residents who once were part of the state's Medically Needy program can pay the bills for their visits to specialists, for laboratory  tests or dialysis, given that they struggle to live on disability income of about $800 a month. With the launch of the Medicare Part D drug program this past Jan. 1 by the federal government, many of the Medically Needy no longer qualified for the state program. That meant the state's Medicaid program quit picking up the tab for their medical expenses. "We figured a lot of people were going to take a hit but we didn't realize how many," said Karen Paladino, a social worker at dialysis centers in Bonita Springs and Naples owned by Fresenius Medical Care. When Medicare Part D moves into its second year this coming January, more chronically ill patients now covered by the Medically Needy program will be in the same bind when they are required to have Part D drug plans. (11/28/06, Naples News)

 

Medicare has pull
With millions of seniors facing premium hikes for their Medicare prescription plans, Democrats say they have a solution: Use the government's massive buying power to bargain for rock-bottom drug prices. The Department of Veterans Affairs does it for 5 million patients, they point out, so why not Medicare with its 43 million?  But the VA model might not be readily adaptable to Medicare, some independent experts say. And policy differences among Democrats, along with the Bush administration's continuing opposition to government price-setting, might complicate the task of reaching a goal Democrats have set for themselves when they take over Congress in January. (11/27/06, Bradenton Herald)


Part D prescription benefit enrollment ends Dec. 31
Thousands of Volusia-Flagler retirees are scrambling to figure out which of 80-plus different Medicare drug plans will offer them affordable protection against the dreaded "doughnut hole" next year. The "hole" has affected a few local Medicare recipients this year but will become a much bigger problem in 2007, according to a state-operated volunteer counseling program called SHINE, Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders.  We've had the Part D benefit in effect this year just since May, so not many people hit the gap," said counselor Fred Kurtz of Ormond Beach. "Next year, Part D has to cover a full 12 months so a lot more people will use up their $2,400."  (11/25/06, Daytona Beach News-Journal)


Get ready: Medicare Part D enrollment starting again
Seniors who agonized last fall over which Medicare Part D drug plan to sign up for amid mass confusion need to gear up again. Seniors also need to realize that if they opt for a different plan for 2007, they will be locked into it until Nov. 15, 2007, when a new enrollment cycle begins. That’s for second-year Part D enrollees only and not for seniors who are newly eligible for Medicare or who didn’t enroll in a drug plan for this current year. “Last year, you had the right to change between Jan. 15 and May 15.” “This (next) year, you are locked in a drug plan for the entire year regardless of whether your drug plan needs change.” An exception to the locked-in rule is if a senior moves and his or her current plan isn’t available in their new community. While the deadline to sign up or switch plans is Dec. 31, the federal government is recommending seniors make the switch by Dec. 8 for coverage on Jan. 1, 2007. (11/18/06, Naples News)
 

Other Medicare, Medicaid

 

OPINION: Medicaid dental program needs reasonable rates to draw dentists
State Sen. Durell Peaden, R-Crestview, astutely summed up the situation with the state's Medicaid dental program: "You can't reform what you're not funding appropriately to begin with." He's right. For Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature, "reform" too often seems to mean cutting services and putting program management in the hands of private companies that then look to further "reform" the system by carving their profit margin out of what's left. The problem of too few dentists in the Pensacola Bay Area not accepting Medicaid patients looks pretty simple: The program already pays so little that it costs dentists money to accept them. (11/27/06, Pensacola News-Journal)

 

Medicaid patients find care limited
For three weeks, Lindsay Holland couldn't find an orthopedic surgeon to examine her 6-year-old son, Dakota, after he broke his right arm in a playground accident. Holland, who makes $8.50 an hour working the graveyard shift at a Wendy's in Delray Beach, thought she didn't have to worry about health care because her family was covered by Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor. But the Boynton Beach single mom, who takes the bus to and from work every day, found out that having Medicaid doesn't guarantee access to medical specialists. After Dakota was seen by an emergency room physician at Delray Medical Center on Oct. 12, Holland called at least a dozen doctors to handle the follow-up care, she said. But none would see her son to make sure his arm was healing correctly. From Boca Raton to Vero Beach to the Glades, a Palm Beach Post investigation found a severe shortage of all types of specialists - such as neurologists and dermatologists - willing to treat the region's roughly 170,000 Medicaid patients. (11/26/06, Palm Beach Post)

 

OPINION: Reverse Medicare cuts or see family doctors get scarce
By Neil R. Oslos, M.D., president, Florida Academy of Family Physicians
As president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians and a physician whose practice is heavily focused on the care of older Floridians, I have significant concerns about the proposed Medicare cuts scheduled for this and subsequent years. Even under our current financing, I am seeing older Floridians having more difficulty obtaining medical care. Physicians in some areas are limiting the number of new Medicare patients that they can see in their practices. Many nursing homes are having difficulties getting physicians to provide care for patients admitted to their facilities, depending more and more on ancillary medical providers to care for patients with very complex illnesses. My concerns are not only those of a physician trying to meet the increasing expenses of the practice of medicine but also as the son of a mother living on a limited, fixed income and who is dependent on Medicare to provide coverage for most of her medical expenses. (11/22/06, Palm Beach Post; also 11/19/06, Ocala Star-Banner; 11/28/06, Stuart News)

 

Health Insurance and Costs

 

Quantum, FAU plan free clinic for Boynton area
Forest Park Elementary School is "a little off the beaten path."
That's how Tim Henderson, vice president for programs at Quantum Foundation, describes the school and its surrounding community. "It's a very high-need neighborhood that nobody in Palm Beach County knows about," Henderson said of the area, just north of Woolbright Road and east of Interstate 95. That's why Quantum and Florida Atlantic University chose the location as the site for a community wellness center, scheduled to open next year. The free clinic - to be called the FAU Community Wellness Center at Forest Park - will be the second stand-alone clinic Quantum and the FAU College of Nursing operate in Palm Beach County. The other one is adjacent to West Gate Elementary School in West Palm Beach and will serve as the model for the Boynton Beach center. But at 2,300 square feet, the new center will be more than twice the size of the West Gate clinic, which opened in 2004. (11/29/06, Palm Beach Post)


Orange Park ER: 'E' is for emergency: Orange Park Medical Center to discourage non-emergency cases

Orange Park Medical Center on Kingsley Avenue has launched a new program designed to discourage non-emergencies in the ER - a major problem facing hospitals nationwide. Powell said over the years people with no or little health insurance have used the ER as a primary care doctor's office, because they believe that emergency rooms cannot turn them away, by law. But actually, the law says hospitals can't turn away a patient with an emergency medical condition. About 60,000 patients visit OPMC's ER each year. Under the new program, called Qualified Medical Personnel or QMP, patients who visit the emergency room are now screened by a triage nurse who determines if the patient's health problems are life-threatening. If not, the patient will be asked to follow up with a family physician and the hospital will provide them with a 10-page guide listing names, addresses, phone numbers and maps showing local urgent care centers, public health units, social service agencies and other community resources. Patients, who insist they want to stay and be treated, can do so, by paying $100 up front. (11/25/06, Florida Times-Union)


Miami HMO run by doctors is likely to fold
DoctorCare, an experimental health plan created by Miami doctors who were fed up with dealing with traditional insurers, was forced into receivership Tuesday by state regulators and likely will fold. The health maintenance organization for Medicare recipients was started in January 2005 by 174 physicians, most of the them serving Hispanic patients in the Mercy Hospital area of Miami. Late Tuesday, Medicare officials in Atlanta issued a statement saying DoctorCare's members will be transferred automatically to one of two Medicare HMOs in Miami-Dade, WellCare of Florida or Preferred Care Partners. Seniors will be sent letters saying which plan they are being put in. (11/22/06, Miami Herald)

 

Sheriff offers partner benefits

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office just became the second major local law enforcement agency in Tampa Bay to offer health insurance to domestic partners of gay and lesbian employees. "Our work force is diverse," Sheriff Jim Coats said Tuesday. "This is one of the needs that I feel that we should at least offer to our employees." (11/22/06, St. Petersburg Times)

 

Hard to swallow: Thousands of our low-income residents can’t find dental care

Like thousands of Northwest Florida residents, Krista Mouw is on Medicaid and has no dental insurance. She can't find a dentist who will accept her as a patient. "I have an episode about every two months with my wisdom teeth," said Mouw, 23, a stay-at-home mom who lives in Pace. "I've decided to just give up and live with the pain." Extracting her wisdom teeth would cost at least $1,200 - more if a surgeon has to perform the procedure. Mouw said she can't afford to pay the entire charge at one time, and she can't find a dentist willing to extend credit. She’s just one of thousands of low-income Pensacola Bay Area residents who can't find dental care. (11/20/06, Pensacola News-Journal)


Hospitals lien on patients: Aggressive debt collection's affect on credit debated
Tripping on the rug in his Port Orange home sent Glenn Hibbs on a financial odyssey he wishes he'd never been forced to take. He broke his shoulder and before it was put back together, Halifax Medical Center had a $26,000 claim - a lien - on Hibbs' home. The hospital insisted he sign financial responsibility forms before being admitted for treatment. "I signed it with a broken shoulder," said Hibbs, 50, who has no health insurance. "They told me I had to sign or there would be no surgery." Increasingly, three local hospitals -- Halifax Medical Center, Florida Hospital DeLand and Florida Hospital Fish Memorial -- are recording liens against patients with the Volusia County Clerk of Court when there's been an accident, even when the patient has health insurance. It's part of a trend nationwide. It's not because the patients haven't paid or are ignoring notices - these liens are filed automatically, often before the patient leaves the hospital. (11/19/06, Daytona Beach News-Journal)

 

Nemours Children's Clinic still at odds with insurer

The first time John Manning's newborn daughter, Samantha, had open heart surgery, the hospital bill totaled a staggering $400,000. It took two more major operations to correct her heart's defects. Fortunately, costs for all three surgeries were covered by the law enforcement officer's group health insurance plan. Today, Samantha is leading a relatively normal and healthy life, but the 5-year-old's worries – and those of her parents -- are far from over. The Manning family was one of thousands in the Panhandle that received a startling letter last month from the Nemours Children's Clinic informing them it would not honor their Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida coverage as of Jan. 1, 2007. (11/19/06, Pensacola News-Journal)

 

Clinic Proposal Moves Ahead
A proposal for a new clinic for Lakeland's uninsured moved a step closer to becoming reality Friday when the Citizens Oversight Committee endorsed contracting with Central Florida Health Care to open one. Polk County commissioners are scheduled to vote on that recommendation at their Dec. 6 meeting. If they agree, Polk County and Central Florida could start drawing up a contract. The clinic would have expanded hours, which could mean weekends and/or evenings, she said, and would open within 120 days of a contract being signed. (11/18/06, Lakeland Ledger)  

 

Other Health Issues 

 

Information about doctors' performances becoming available
Once the great secret of healthcare, information about doctors' performances is now being made public -- and much more will become available next year, when Medicare and private insurers pool a massive amount of data that can be analyzed to reveal the treatment patterns of doctors. Still, much information remains hidden -- particularly about bad doctors. The most glaring example: The federal government collects crucial data about doctors' malpractice suits and discipline actions but won't release it to the public because of opposition from doctors' groups. It's not clear when the federal government may have its doctor data available for comparison on the Web. But officials at Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration have said they plan to put information about Florida doctors online next summer. The information will include the number of certain procedures performed by each doctor; beyond that, the specifics of the listings remain unclear. (11/26/06, Miami Herald) 

 

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINIONS

 

Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP

  

Medicare Drug Coverage, Drug Cost

 

What Will Democrats Do About Drug Prices?

During their election campaign, Democrats talked a lot about the price of drugs, saying they would free the government so that it could negotiate cheaper prices. The savings, they said, would go towards reducing a large deficit that looms over Medicare's new prescription drug benefit. Now that the Democrats will have control of Congress they have their chance. The problem is, as is the case with anything you promise when you are the opposition, how do they do this without destroying a program that has become seemingly popular? (11/27/06, Medical News Today)

 

Drug Industry Is on Defensive as Power Shifts

Pharmaceutical companies are gearing up to prevent Congress from letting the government negotiate lower drug prices for older Americans on Medicare. Alarmed at the prospect of Democratic control of Congress, top executives from two dozen drug companies met here last week to assess what appears to them to be a harsh new political climate, and to draft a battle plan. Hoping to prevent Congress from letting the government negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans on Medicare, the pharmaceutical companies have been recruiting Democratic lobbyists, lining up allies in the Bush administration and Congress, and renewing ties with organizations of patients who depend on brand-name drugs. (11/24/06, New York Times)

 

Medicare
Party leaders said they are determined to try to lower the prices older Americans pay for prescription medicine under the drug benefit that became part of Medicare this year. The Democrats' central strategy is to change the 2003 law that created the new benefit so that the government -- not individual insurance companies that sell drug coverage to Medicare patients -- would negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Longer-term, key Democrats would like to reverse broader changes by Republicans that have tilted Medicare toward the private sector. (11/19/06, Washington Post)

 

Wal-Mart adds states to $4 drug offer
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday expanded a $4 offer for some prescription generic drugs to 11 more states, including Massachusetts, in its plan to reach all 50 states by as early as January with the discount program. mounting political pressure led by union groups over its labor practices including health insurance, says the program that now covers 38 states will contribute to lowering the cost of health care in America. The program provides a 30-day supply of some prescriptions at the discount price. (11/16/06, AP)

 

Administration Opposes Democrats’ Plan for Negotiating Medicare Drug Prices

The Bush administration said on Sunday that it would strenuously oppose one of the Democrats’ top priorities for the new Congress: legislation authorizing the government to negotiate with drug companies to secure lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. In an interview, Michael O. Leavitt, the secretary of health and human services, said he saw no prospect of compromise on the issue. “In politics,” Mr. Leavitt said, “most specific issues like this are a disguise for a larger difference. Government negotiation of drug prices does not work unless you have a program completely run by the government. Democrats say they want the government to negotiate prices. What they really want is government-run health care.”  (11/13/06, New York Times)

Other Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP News  

Panel Calls for Big Changes in Medicaid
A federal advisory panel recommended sweeping changes to Medicaid to rein in costs, including greater use of managed care for the sickest recipients. The proposals set up a likely clash between the new Democratic Congress and the Bush administration, which has sent strong signals that it will seek big savings in Medicaid next year.  (11/23/06, New York Times) 
 
To help consumers, providers, and payers make more informed health care decisions, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making available Medicare payment information for physicians and hospital outpatient departments. The release includes data for common services provided in physicians' offices, as well as services performed in a hospital outpatient department. This information complements the inpatient hospital and ambulatory surgery center data already posted to the CMS website. (11/23/06, CMS)
 
Federal Medicaid Commission Recommends More Flexibility For States; Some Democrats Oppose Proposal
A federal Medicaid commission appointed last year by HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Friday issued a report to Congress that recommended placement of the sickest beneficiaries in managed care plans and additional flexibility for states to administer benefits under the program. (11/17/06, CQ HealthBeat)
 
"The outlook looks increasingly bleak" this year for passage of legislation to reverse a 5.1% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements scheduled to take effect in January 2007, CongressDaily reports. According to CongressDaily, congressional leadership elections prevented consideration of such legislation this week, and, "as the time to pass a bill grows short, Republicans are lowering their sights to consider short-term options, such as a six-month suspension of the cuts." (11/16/06, CongressDaily)
 
SCHIP Funds
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Thursday said that Congress must act during the lame-duck session to address a combined $920 million deficit that 17 state SCHIP programs will face in fiscal year 2007, CQ HealthBeat reports. At a Senate Finance Health Subcommittee hearing, Rockefeller said that, without additional funds for the state SCHIP programs, 630,000 children could lose health insurance next year. Rockefeller has introduced a bill (S 3913) that would use unspent FY 2004 SCHIP allocations and new funds to address the deficit, and Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) has introduced a companion bill (HR 6098). Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also has introduced legislation that would address the deficit, "but legislative analysts said his bill wouldn't go as far to end the shortfalls as the Rockefeller bill,"
CQ HealthBeat reports. (11/16/06, CQ HealthBeat)
 
[M]any states are moving aggressively" to place more Medicaid beneficiaries in HMOs, and more than one in three beneficiaries now receives care through a private insurer. As a result, some companies that contract with Medicaid are growing rapidly. (11/15/06, Wall Street Journal)
 

 

Health Insurance and Costs

 

States Likely to Lead Health Care Reform

A bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers and policy analysts want to use states as laboratories to test new approaches for expanding coverage, boosting quality and controlling costs, reports the Milwaukee Sentinel. (11/26/06, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

 

OPINION: Democrats Will Try to Reduce the Number of Uninsured, but Method Is Unclear
Providing universal health insurance is one possible, "albeit expensive," strategy Democrats might use to try to reduce economic inequality in the nation in the wake of their victory in the midterm elections. (11/21/06, Wall Street Journal)

 

Proposed Universal Insurance Plan Would Be New World for Health Care
Money. It's the word of the day, the month and the foreseeable future in the debate over a proposed Louisiana experiment in universal health insurance.  The insurance program, pushed by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, is fraught with uncertainties. Most of them are related to money — how much, who gets it and what it will buy. (11/19/06, Advocate Capitol News Bureau)

 

Senator Kennedy, Incoming Chair of Senate Health Panel, Aims for Universal Health Coverage -- Starting with Children
Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, slated to become chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Workforce Committee, said that universal coverage is his "ultimate goal" and that he will focus on covering kids first. (11/17/06, Washington Times)

 

National Survey of Households Affected by Cancer

This USA Today/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health National Survey provides an in-depth examination of how families cope with cancer and highlights problems of health insurance and health care costs through the lens of those who have experienced this major illness. One in four families affected by cancer said the experience led  the person with the disease to spend all or most of his or her savings, while one in eight borrowed money from relatives, a  new survey conducted by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health finds. The survey found that cancer's impact often extends beyond an indi vidual patient to affect entire families -- sometimes causing  financial crisis, strained relationships, and physical and mental  health issues for those who love and care for people diagnosed with the disease.  Having health insurance during treatment helped to limit the  financial consequences of a cancer diagnosis, but even those  with consistent coverage faced difficulties. (11/20/06, Kaiser Family Foundation) USA Today is featuring the survey results in a series of articles available online: "Cancer Care Often Uncoordinated;"  "Cancer Hurts Caregivers, Too;"  "Cancer Patients Keep on Working;"  "The Upside of Cancer: A New Outlook on Life."  


Tempers Rise In Health Industry: Ugly Conflicts Over Contract Costs Occurring Between Insurers, Providers Of Care
Tension typically defines contract negotiations between health insurers and health care providers, but the haggling has taken an ugly turn lately. Experts say the spate of acrimonious, public disputes signal that years of rising health care costs are taking a toll on all of those involved. Hospitals accuse health plans of skimping on payments to boost their earnings; health plans say they are under pressure from clients to reduce costs, and that providers balk at tying payment to performance. High cost has squeezed the demand for health insurance, so plans are under pressure to lower premiums to win business. Declaring a winner in these brawls is difficult. A health plan that covers a large percentage of an area's population will use that as an advantage over a hospital that needs those patients. But a hospital that controls most of a city's market can call the shots with health plans. Meanwhile, employers and patients sit on the sidelines of the disputes, attempting to figure out how they'll be affected. The ultimate losers may be the patients, who have to adapt to changing networks of hospitals and doctors, experts said. (11/16/06, AP)


Poll: Americans Dissatisfied with Nation's Health Coverage, but Disagree on How to Change It

Eighty percent of Americans think that the nation's current system of employer-based coverage, bolstered by public programs for the poor and elderly, is "problematic," but they do not agree on what to do about it. (11/14/06, AP)

 

OPINION: Market-Based Reforms Are the Right Fix for Health Care
In response to the recent proposal from America's Health Insurance Plans that would guarantee coverage to almost all Americans within a decade, this editorial finds it "encouraging that America's private health insurers are thinking about ways to preserve a competitive market for health services," though it wishes the proposals were even more market driven. (11/20/06, Wall Street Journal)


OPINION: Business Needs to Take a More Active Role in Shaping Health Coverage
Few American businesspeople have ideas about how to solve the health care crisis. (11/18/06, New York Times)


Democrats Reject Recommendations of Bush-Appointed Medicaid Commission
The conclusions of a Medicaid reform panel, appointed by the Bush administration 18 months ago, that states should be given more freedom to enroll recipients in managed care programs was largely rejected by Democrats. (11/17/06, AP) 

Other Health Issues

 

 HEALTH ADVOCACY RESOURCES

November 30, 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 Care Costs

        New: Health Equity Issues

        New: Other Health Issues

     Florida Reports

     Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIPS

     Federal Budget/Health Care

     Health Insurance, Health Costs, Health Care Reform

     Health Equity Issues

     Other Health Issues

 

 FLORIDA CHAIN WEB SITE RESOURCE UPDATE


Florida Medicaid Reform PowerPoint Presentation

Educate your colleagues and/or employees on Florida Medicaid Reform basics. with Florida CHAIN's PowerPoint presentation for public use. Feel free to call Florida CHAIN for more information about Medicaid reform or about the PowerPoint: 954-791-7314.

 

The Florida CHAIN web site now includes resource information in Spanish.

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

 

New grant listings

 

Continuing grant listings, in order of submission deadlines

 

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.

 

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. 

 

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.

 

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. 

 

Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization 
Application Deadline: Open
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program supports policy analysis, research, evaluation and demonstration projects that provide policy leaders timely information on health care policy and financing issues. This Call for Proposals is intended to support projects that: 1) examine significant issues and interventions related to health care financing and organization and their effects on health care costs, quality and access; and 2) explore or test major new ways to finance and organize health care that have the potential to improve access to more affordable and higher quality health services.  

 

Funding for Community-Based Approaches to Improve Care for Vulnerable Populations
Deadline: Rolling
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting applications for its Fresh Ideas: Community-Based Approaches to Improve Care for Vulnerable Populations grant program. The purpose of this program is to promote community-based approaches to health and health care problems that interact with social problems. Examples include inadequate housing, poor education and poverty. Priority is given to projects that focus on hard-to-reach populations such as new immigrants and refugees and at-risk adolescents.

 

Research Proposals on Disparities Issues

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation seeks to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the care of patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus type 2 and/or depression. To that end, RWJF invites research proposals that offer solutions towards reducing health care disparities. RWJF encourages researchers to include data and analyses in their proposals to help us better understand these disparities related to: sub-ethnic and other marginalized groups (e.g., Mexican, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese and American Indian); and  acculturation factors (e.g., generation, years in US, age of migration and language proficiency).  RWJF will consider projects of up to $75,000 with a one-year time frame.    

State Coverage Initiatives
Through funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, State Coverage Initiatives offers both policy planning and demonstration grants. SCI grants are designed to support states in the early stages of planning coverage expansions and those states that have decided on a new coverage expansion mechanism and seek assistance designing and implementing the program. Specific new grant opportunities are announced on the Web site and through the e-newsletter, St@teside; however, states may submit project ideas at any time. For specific info, contact isabel.friedenzohn@academyhealth.org or 202/292-6726  

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

 

Directory Of Health Policy Fellowships

This Kaiser directory contains new listings for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals searching for summer, school-year, or post-doctoral positions.

 

ORGANZATIONS AND SERVICES

 

Newly posted resources are at the top of the list.

 

Social Determinants of Health ListServ
There is increasing recognition in the health promotion field that the factors that are the prime determinants of health are outside the health care and behavioural risk arenas. Many of these factors involve public policy decisions made by governments that influence the distribution of income, degree of social security, and quality and availability of education, food, and housing, among others. These non-medical and non-lifestyle factors have come to be known as the social determinants of health. In many nations - and this is especially the case in North America - recent policy decisions are undermining these social determinants of health.  Social determinants of health determine whether individuals stay healthy or become ill. Since a social determinants of health approach sees the mainsprings of health as being how a society organizes and distributes economic and social resources, it directs attention to economic and social policies as means of improving health. A social determinants of health approach is explicitly political. The Social Determinants of Health Listserv is intended as an international forum for those concerned with the latest developments in theory, research, and practice regarding the social determinants of health. The purpose is to: a) provide the latest information on scholarship on social determinants of health; b); explore the implications of these conditions for the health of citizens; and c) provide support for those attempting to strengthen these social determinants of health in their local jurisdictions. To subscribe: Send the following to listserv@yorku.ca in the message section: subscribe SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname  

 

Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is a comprehensive independent source of health care information and assistance for older adults and people with disabilities. Multiple services include: a telephone hotline; a database of case advice; education and training; public policy work; electronic newsletters; and communications with local and national media outlets. To help you understand your Medicare health plan choices, the Medicare Rights Center offers Medicare Interactive (MI), a web-based Medicare counseling tool.

 

Training Alliance for Communities of Color
This 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. 

 

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.

 

New/Updated Resources Medicare Drug Plan Resources
In advance of the 2007 Medicare drug plans open enrollment period beginning Nov. 15, Kaiser Family Foundation has issued a series of new and updated resources based on ongoing research including consumer surveys:

Updated fact sheet providing state-specific data about Medicare drug plan options for 2007, including stand-alone drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans, and information on premiums, gap coverage, and availability to beneficiaries who qualify for full low-income assistance.

Updated Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit fact sheet, with a revised estimate that 4 million people will be affected by the coverage gap in 2006, as well as current enrollment and low-income subsidy participation and updated Medicare per capita drug spending.

Updated Talking About Medicare online consumer guide, reflecting 2007 benefit changes, to help people with Medicare and their families understand options and make decisions based on their personal situations; includes information about financial assistance for those with limited incomes, supplemental insurance options, and Medicare Advantage.

 

Fact Sheets and Primer on the Uninsured
The Kaiser Family Foundation has collected links to some resources on the topics of health coverage and the nation’s uninsured population to assist you in your work related to these issues:

The Uninsured and Their Access to Care

Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources

Massachusetts’ New Law to Cover the Uninsured

Women's Health Insurance Coverage

The Uninsured: A Primer

 

Applying for the Part D Low-Income Subsidy: A Tool Kit for Advocates
Access to Benefits Coalition provides these Tools You Can Use to help people apply for the extra help available through the new Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.

 

Families USA is offering 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 

 

ACHI Audio Conferences
Jan. 18  2:00 pm ET
Primary Care Access Network: Health Care for the Underinsured

Feb. 15  2:00 pm ET
Maximizing Community Benefit's Impact on Community Health

Ask the Experts: Open Enrollment for Medicare Part D
As the open enrollment period for Medicare Part D begins, panelists on this  Nov. 14, 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation "Ask the Experts" episode discuss how plan choices are changing, how the process is going for beneficiaries and what they should think about when making drug coverage decisions. Available in video, podcast or transcript.

 

The Medicare Drug Benefit: Counseling strategies for the 2007 enrollment period

In this web seminar, you will learn: How Medicare benefits will be changing next year; What people with Medicare drug coverage need to know; If people will still get Extra Help next year if they had it this year; What rights people have if they change Medicare drug plans this year. Available in recording or transcript.

Media Programming

 

"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 

Spanish Language Mental Health Manual for Health Promoters Developed by the California- Mexico Bi-National Health Initiative. 

 

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

 

"2006 Kids Count” Report

The annual report measures each state in terms of 10 statistics, including infant mortality, teen birth rate and infants born with low birthweights. The report finds no change in U.S. infant mortality since 2000, less than a percentage point increase to 7.9% in 2003 in the percentage of infants born weighing less than 5.5 pounds and a decrease in the teen birth rate from 48 births per 1,000 girls in 2000 to 42 births per 1,000 in 2003. (6/27/06, Annie E. Casey Foundation)

 

State of Florida Health Care Consumer Websites
The recently expanded FloridaCompareCare.gov aims to improve care and reduce costs by giving citizens the tools to compare outcomes and prices between health care providers and medical services.  Through this website one can see data on certain conditions and procedures related to quality of care, pricing and performance at the state’s hospitals and ambulatory (outpatient) surgery centers. In 2005, Florida became the first state to publicly report infection and mortality rates in each hospital.  In July 2006, Florida became the first state to publicly report separate pediatric quality of care data. In addition, adult data can now be broken out specific to ages 65 and over. Additional new breakdowns include types of facilities.
FloridaHealthStat.com provides health care information to assist consumers, health care professionals, and researchers in making well-informed health care decisions and in researching the status of health care in Florida. MyFloridaRx.com provides consumers with the retail prices of the most commonly used prescribed drugs by pharmacy across Florida. For questions or comments regarding any of Florida’s consumer websites, contact 850/922-7036.

 

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

 

Florida KidCare Applications can be completed online

 

Website Offers Free 24 Hour Health Information to Floridians to address concerns and inquiries 

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) Secretary encourages health care consumers to visit www.FLHealthSource.com whenever they need information about a licensed health care professional. DOH’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) maintains FLHealthSource.com. The site provides health care consumers with a host of information, including license status, office address, and disciplinary information for all health care professionals licensed in Florida. The site also provides additional information for the five profiled professions –medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, chiropractic physicians, podiatric physicians and advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs).

 

Statehealthfacts.org provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states, covering more than 500 health topics. 

 

Florida Progressive Information Network (FLPIN)

offers a nonpartisan communication system designed to link progressive organizers with progressive activists.  Individuals may sign up free of charge to receive alerts on a variety of progressive issues from other organizations participating in the Network. In order to make FLPIN work, it must be used on a regular basis. The more information put in, the more valuable it is as a tool. Link FLPIN to organization websites. A training manual is at www.flpin.net/alert.pdf.  For more information or assistance, contact jen@floridahumanist.org

 

National Web Resources


CVS/pharmacy Helps Seniors Find The Right Medicare Part D Plan

CVS/pharmacy has launched an online Medicare Plan Comparison Tool. The tool is available through the web and at CVS pharmacies. Designed to help millions of eligible seniors find the Medicare Part D plan that best suits their needs, the user-friendly CVS/pharmacy Medicare Plan Comparison Tool is part of CVS/pharmacy's ongoing efforts to educate seniors about their Medicare Part D options.

 

New Online Medical Dictionary Reference Tool

MediLexicon International Limited, corporate owners of Medical News Today, was pleased to announce on Nov. 11 the launch of a new medical dictionary tool. This dictionary search is a joint collaboration between MediLexicon and Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, who have provided the data.

 

Online Interactive Medicare Advantage Comparison Tools
Before making the switch to Medicare Advantage, beneficiaries can compare plans to determine their needs. Then they can review each plan using the “Guidelines for Considering Medicare Advantage”  from the Center for Medicare Advocacy. More information about Medicare Advantage managed care plans is online at Medicare.gov. More recent FAQs on private fee-for-service plans is available through CMS.

 

Online Parent SCHIP Information
To assist in the growing problem of America's uninsured children, medical insurance hub HealthInsuranceFinders has added information to assist parents in finding and understanding all of their health insurance options: a State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) section with an overview of State Children Health Insurance Programs for each state.


State By State National Survey of Children’s Health Data Resource Center Dataset
The DRC Child Health Indicators version of the 2003 NSCH Dataset is now available. Added to the data sets are the 65 Child Health Indicators for the DRC online data query and the National Chartbook. Also included are Healthy People 2010 relevant indicators and key socio-demographic variables.

 

Comprehensive source of Hispanic data
Recent release from the Census Bureau with data and linkage to sources covering many areas.

 

Statehealthfacts.org Data Updates
New updates include 2005 Medicaid Spending and Enrollment, Adult Overweight/Obesity Rates, and Child Health for 2005. New 2003 child health data from the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health on the percentage of children who are overweight and children who have accessed mental health services have also been added and are available by state and region.


Private Health Insurance 101 Tutorial
This new Kaiser Family Foundation narrated slide tutorial provides an overview of the private health insurance system, discussing basic concepts that are important in understanding private health insurance and how it works, such as risk spreading/risk selection, pluralism, costs, coverage, and regulation. Tutorial slides can be downloaded. 


Updated Medicare 101 Tutorial
The newly expanded Kaiser Family Foundation tutorial gives an overview of Medicare, describes how it works and explores the program's challenges. The tutorial has been updated to include the latest information on Medicare spending, the prescription drug benefit and future challenges.

 

Rural Communities Statistics and Information
The Rural Assistance Center has added to its Web site a new resource providing continuously updated demographics and statistics, documents and resources and contacts for all 50 states. RAC said the federally funded "State Resources" addition is designed to help health care providers and human services representatives in rural communities with activities such as locating and competing for funding opportunities and networking.

 

American Community Census Data Online
The new poverty, income, and health insurance data from the U.S. Census Bureau released on August 29, 2006 is available online. This year, it has more state and local data than in previous annual surveys.

 

Covering Kids & Families Web Site

New layout includes Back to School Campaign resources; Communications Action Center, a one-stop outreach resource; new Covering Kids & Families Policy Center; new promising strategies section; resources for families looking for information about low-cost and free health care coverage; streamlined free materials ordering section; new PSA featuring Bernie Mac; royalty-free photos; resources for event planners. For more information, call 202/338-7227 or email coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com.

   

New Community Health Action Web Site 

This website is intended to give leaders at community-based organizations, easy and ready access to important information on healthcare issues. The site also features a free quarterly newsletter called Community Health Advocacy News & Views with resources and information.

 

State Level Data on Health Coverage & the Uninsured

Kaiser Family Foundation's interactive web tool includes the health insurance status of the state’s population (those with various types of health coverage or who are uninsured), and demographic information (such as income, race/ethnicity, age, gender) for those who are uninsured, have employer-based insurance, or Medicaid. Information about Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries can be found in those respective categories. Find data from other categories on the website that relate to Health Coverage & Uninsured.

 

The Johns Hopkins INFO Project's New OneSource Database

This provides one-stop access to over 360,000 resources and six separate databases with a single mouse click or search term. OneSource users can quickly search for reports, articles, documents, posters and pamphlets, photos, web sites, Q&As and news articles through a single interface. An enhanced search and browse capability makes finding global family planning, reproductive health and population information faster and more simple than ever.  Enter your terms in the search box. Select the resource type you want to look for, or search all six databases at once, and click Search.

 

Uninsured Tutorial, Module, and Reference Library

This KaiserEDU.org page contains comprehensive resources including links to key research, policy analysis, and the latest data and statistics on the uninsured. 

  

Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions includes a corresponding PowerPoint presentation.  (Cover the Uninsured)

 

Immigrant Health Policy Reference Library
This new compendium summarizes data and research on immigrants’ health coverage and access to care. The library also includes a list of organizations that conduct analysis on the impact of major health policies on immigrants and presents research on specific populations, including Latino, African and Asian immigrants.

  

Medicaid Fact Sheets Tool

Compare your state's Medicaid program and the population it serves to other states and the nation by visiting Kaiser's new interactive online State Medicaid Fact Sheets tool.

 

Interactive Tools on Medicaid

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured presents the State Medicaid Fact Sheets and the Medicaid Benefits Online Database, two interactive tools featuring the latest key data, information and services provided for each state’s Medicaid program. Both tools allow for easy access to the data which can then be printed, saved and emailed.

 

2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines

The Southern Institute on Children and Families, National Program Office for Covering Kids & Families has made available the 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Compiled from the 2006 HHS Poverty Guidelines, these guidelines provide income levels for families at 50%, 100%, 125%, 133%, 150%, 185% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.

 

Healthcare Coverage Options Database: Assistance for Obtaining Health Coverage

This Web site provides information on health insurance options for low-income U.S. residents. The site includes comprehensive information on large-scale programs like Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the federal Health Care Tax Credit Program, as well as hundreds of smaller state, federal, and private programs.

 

 

Videos

 

Covering Kids & Families Video
Parents' Action for Children, a 2006 national supporter, has created a flash animation video in partnership with Covering Kids & Families that promotes the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage for eligible families. Parents’ Action for Children plans to promote the video to their membership of more than 35,000 parents across the country who are working to improve the lives of children and families in their communities. View the video today! For more information, contact 202/338-7227 or coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com

 

Problems with the Medicare Drug Program and How to Fix Them: Video

This new 14-minute video produced by Families USA features trusted newsman Walter Cronkite discussing the problems within the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and offering solutions for the Part D program. The video offers an authoritative look at Medicare’s prescription coverage. First-hand experiences come from retirees from across the country, who offer an up-close look at the troubles the new drug benefit has generated, from the headaches of sorting through dozens of plans to the financial tolls the program will take on so-called beneficiaries. A dedicated community pharmacist shares his insights on the roll-out of Part D and knowledgeable consumer advocates analyze the politics at the core of the creation of the Medicare drug program. Watch the Video Online or Request a Copy

  

 

PERIODICALS AND BOOKS

The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 
has announced its November 2006 issue. Articles include: The Tuskegee Legacy Project: Willingness of Minorities to Participate in Biomedical Research; A Cervical Cancer Curriculum for Hispanic Adolescents in Rural High Schools; Prior Health Care Experiences of Adolescents who Enroll in SCHIP; How Can States Provide Affordable Pharmaceuticals To the Underserved?; The Financial Value of Services Provided by a Rural Community Health Fair; Socioeconomic Status and Medical Care Expenditures in Medicare Managed Care; Assessing Health Concerns and Barriers in a Heterogeneous Latino Community; Transportation Barriers to Accessing Health Care for Urban Children.

Southern Medical Journal Publishes Studies On Healthcare Disparities
The U.S. healthcare system is one of the most highly advanced in the world. Yet still today, many Americans suffer from unequal access to high-quality health care-a problem that carries a high cost for individuals, communities, and society at large. A special Csection of the September issue of Southern Medical Journal, official journal of the Southern Medical Association, focuses attention on the problem of healthcare disparities in the United States. "As a physician member association, we are pledging a five-year commitment to this issue to make a difference in this country by using our areas of influence to bring recognition and change," comments Dr. Braxter P. Irby, President of the SMA. "Discrepancies in healthcare encompass factors such as race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, geographic location and culture," says Dr. Ronald C. Hamdy, Editor of SMJ. "Southern Medical Journal is planning a series of articles on healthcare disparities to make our readers more aware of this inequality, in the hopes that appropriate changes may be implemented."
(10/23/06, Medical News Today)

Dying While Black
One of the most significant issues to be addressed by health community is inequalities in health and health care for minorities, particularly African Americans. African Americans still suffer from the generational effect of a slave health deficit. African Americans lag behind on nearly every health indicator, including life expectancy, death rates, infant mortality, low birth weight rates anddisease rates. African Americans are sicker than European Americans.   Blacks have shorter lives - Blacks are quite literally dying from being black.  (October 2006)

Covering Health Issues - A Sourcebook for Journalists
The newest edition of the Alliance for Health Reform's 300-page guide, "Covering Health Issues," is now available for downloading. The guide is useful for anyone interested in health policy issues. Each chapter contains key facts, an overview, expert sources with telephone numbers, story ideas, helpful websites and a discussion of current policy proposals.

New Journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health will publish the inaugural issue this fall of its new journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action (PCHP). Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, PCHP will address topics in the growing field of community-based participatory research.

 

Health Disparities: A Selected Bibliography
From the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

REPORTS AND STUDIES

New Listings

New Listings: Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP

Benefit Design and Formularies of Medicare Drug Plans: A Comparison of 2006 and 2007 Offerings
This profiles the 2007 Medicare stand-alone drug plans offered to the 43 million 2007 beneficiaries and highlights some of the changes in plans from 2006. It looks at premiums, covered drugs, copays, and other features that affect out-of-pocket costs and access. The changes identified in the report underscore the importance for Medicare beneficiaries in reviewing key features of drug plans before enrolling in a plan for 2007. This study compared the prescription drug plans offered in 2006-2007, finding: more plans were being offered with more drugs covered, but with higher premiums; generally lower copayments for generics and preferred brand-name drugs; 30 percent more plans offered nationwide in 2007; 483 plans that qualify for full premium subsidy for people eligible for Extra Help in 2007, up from 409; increased premiums; and more plans covering the doughnut hole but most with only generics. (11/14/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)

Status Report On Medicare Part D Enrollment In 2006: Analysis Of Plan-Specific Market Share And Coverage
A comprehensive look at the 2006 private Medicare drug plan enrollment as the enrollment period for 2007 begins. The article examines organization- and plan-level market share, as well as enrollment by type of plan, benefit design, and gap coverage. (11/21/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)

State-level Medicare Part D Plan Characteristics, A 2007 Update
This fact sheet contains new state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options, including the number of stand-alone plans with gap coverage in the "doughnut hole," and the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries. (11/10/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)

The Nuts and Bolts of PDPs
An overview of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, including information on enrollment, premiums, formularies, cost sharing, prices, payment, cost management and the denied claims appeals process. In addition, the brief examines changes to the Medicare drug plans from 2006 through 2007. (11/8/06, National Health Policy Forum)

Recalibrating Medicare Payments for Inpatient Care
Article discusses reasons for variation in profitability for different services and the effect of specialty hospitals on reimbursements. States that policy must be established to "ensure more accurate payment methods," or "providers will increasingly gravitate toward the medical problems and procedures that boost their bottom line," rather than provide other needed medical care. (November 2006, New England Journal of Medicine)

Medicaid Patients Less Likely Than Those With Private Insurance To Receive Recommended Cardiac Care
The quality of cardiac care for Medicaid patients lags behind the care given to those with HMOs and private insurance according to a new study. The study found Medicaid patients were less likely to receive short term medications and to undergo invasive cardiac procedures. They also had higher in-hospital mortality rates and were less likely to receive recommended discharge care. Differences were fewer and smaller for Medicare patients.  (11/21/06, Annals of Internal Medicine)

How Does the Medicaid Buy-In Program Relate to Other Federal Efforts To Improve Access to Health Coverage for Adults With Disabilities?
The issue brief examines how the Medicaid Buy-In program -- which allows states to expand Medicaid coverage to workers with disabilities whose incomes would otherwise make them ineligible -- compares to other federal programs that promote employment for people with disabilities, such as work-incentive provisions of the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs. The brief also examines large-scale federal demonstration projects that aim to improve access to medical services for certain groups of working-age adults who have disabilities or potentially disabling conditions. (11/17/06, Mathematica)

New Listings: Health Insurance, Health Costs

 

Americans Wary Of Comprehensive Health Care Reform, Survey Finds
Although a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the current health care system, they remain unlikely to accept comprehensive reform legislation, according to a review of numerous public opinion surveys. Middle-income people in particular - while supporting concepts such as universal coverage and Medicare reform - are concerned about the trade-offs that might be required to meet these ambitious goals. (December 2006, The Milbank Quarterly)

 

Exploring the Public's Views on the Health Care System: A National Survey on the Issues and Options

Instead of assessing support for specific health reform initiatives, this study examines fundamental attitudes that shape views about the provision and financing of health insurance. It finds strong support for equity and expansion of coverage, with few differences across sociodemographic groups, but some support for holding individuals responsible for health-related behavior. Consumers want to retain choice of plans and coverage for routine expense yet not bear additional financial burden.  "There was strong consensus that the current system is not working well. When asked whether or not they agreed with the statement that the current system has lots of problems and needs to be improved, 80 percent of respondents agreed, compared with only 20 percent who said that the employer-based system combined with current government programs is working well." (November 2006, Health Affairs)

 

Headed for a Tipping Point?
Average people on the street think the health care system is headed for disaster, and it appears they're right. Try this for fun: The next time a stranger asks you what you do for a living, say, "I'm a health care futurist. I write and speak about the future of health care."  The single most common response is rather shocking. Most people say, "Does it have a future?"  (November 2006, H&HN)


National Survey of Households Affected by Cancer
This USA Today/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health National Survey provides an in-depth examination of how families cope with cancer and highlights problems of health insurance and health care costs through the lens of those who have experienced this major illness. One in four families affected by cancer said the experience led  the person with the disease to spend all or most of his or her savings, while one in eight borrowed money from relatives, a  new survey conducted by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health finds. The survey found that cancer's impact often extends beyond an indi vidual patient to affect entire families -- sometimes causing  financial crisis, strained relationships, and physical and mental  health issues for those who love and care for people diagnosed  with the disease.  Having health insurance during treatment helped to limit the  financial consequences of a cancer diagnosis, but even those  with consistent coverage faced difficulties. (11/20/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)

 

Comparison of Expenditures in Nongroup and Employer-Sponsored Insurance

Part of the Snapshot on Health Care Costs series, this report examines the differences in costs associated with individual, nongroup insurance and employer-sponsored insurance. (11/10/06, Kaiser Family Foundation)

 

Illustrating the Potential Impacts of Adverse Selection on Health Insurance Costs in Consumer Choice Models  

Part of the Snapshot on Health Care Costs series, this report examines the sensitivity of health insurance premiums to enrollment shifts by high-cost members, a process known as adverse selection (11/10/06, Kaiser Family Foundation) 

 

 New Listings: Health Equity Issues 

 

Little Public Money Spent On Health Care To Undocumented Immigrants, RAND Study Shows
Just a small fraction of America's health care spending is used to provide publicly supported care to the nation's undocumented immigrants. Overall, immigrants to the United States use relatively few health services, primarily because they are generally healthier than their American-born counterparts, according to the study by the nonprofit research organization. The report - which appears in the November edition of the journal Health Affairs - estimates that in the United States about $1.1 billion in federal, state and local

government funds are spent annually on health care for undocumented immigrants aged 18 to 64. That amounts to an average of $11 in taxes for each U.S. household. In contrast, a total of $88 billion in government funds were spent on health care for all non-elderly adults in 2000. ( November 2006, Health Affairs)  

 

As Holidays Approach, Data Shows High Rates of Hardship for African Americans and Latinos
Analysis of data on hardships faced by American families — based on an annual survey the Administration plans to eliminate this fiscal year — shows that between one-fourth and one-third of all African American and Latino citizen families experience difficulty affording food, lack needed medical care, and/or live in overcrowded conditions.Twenty-eight percent of African American families with children, and 31 percent of families headed by a Latino citizen, experience at least one of the above three hardships at some point during the year, according to the survey. This is double the rate for non-Latino white families with children (14 percent). This disparity largely reflects the fact that poverty rates are several times higher for African American and Latino families than for white families. (11/21/06, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)


Delays in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment by Racial/Ethnic Group
Although white women have the highest incidence of breast cancer, African American, followed by Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Asian American or Pacific Islander, women have higher death rates from the disease. Timely initiation of treatment has been shown to improve survival, and may help to lessen the mortality differences among racial/ethnic groups. (11/13/06, Archives of Internal Medicine)

 

New Listings: Other Health Issues
 
Health, United States, 2006
This 30th report on the health status of the nation is submitted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and Congress of the United States in compliance with Section 308 of the Public Health Service Act. The 559-page report was compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics served in a review capacity. The Health, United States series presents national trends in health statistics. Each report includes an executive summary, highlights, a chartbook, trend tables, extensive appendixes, and an index. Contents include:  Fertility, Natality, Life Expectancy and Mortality; Health Behaviors, Status, Risk Factors, Determinants and Measures; Health Care Access, Utilization, System Influences, Expenditures, Resources and Personnel; Health Insurance Coverage and Payors; Uninsured Population; Age, Race and Ethnicity and Poverty; Alcohol and Drug Use; Physical Activity and Limitations; Dental Care and Access; and a Special Section on Pain. (November 2006, HHS, CDC, NHCS)
 
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reports that 1.2 million people with life- limiting illness received care from one of the nation's hospices last year. Approximately one-third of all deaths in the US were under the care of a hospice program. (11/16/06, NHPCO)
 

Florida Reports 

 

Florida Senate Interim Project Report on Florida KidCare Organizational Streamlining and Administrative Simplification
The Florida KidCare program provides health care coverage to over 1.4 million children.  KidCare is an "umbrella” program, the components of which include Medicaid for children, Healthy Kids, Medikids, and Children’s Medical Services Network. Linking these has resulted in a complex administrative structure, with different financial eligibility requirements, benefit designs, service delivery systems, cost sharing equirements, and multiple administrative entities. This administrative structure has created barriers to access, although many have been or are being addressed. This report recommends further incremental approaches for organizational streamlining and administrative simplification. A model for comprehensive reorganization is also provided for consideration. (October 2006, Florida Senate)

 

Medicaid Changes: What will they mean for Broward and Duval counties, and beyond?
This document is Briefing #1 by researchers at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute engaged in a two-year evaluation of the Medicaid reform pilot counties for both Florida counties. The evaluation is assessing how these changes affect Medicaid beneficiaries’ ability to access needed care as well as the impact on community health providers.(September 2006, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute)

 

National Survey of Children’s Health, 2003 Florida State Profile Children ages 0-17

 

State of Working Florida 2006
Research Insitute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP)'s annual Labor Day report reviews economic data to provide a comprehensive picture of workers and their families. Data on wages, employment, industries, and benefits show how workers are faring in Florida 's economy. Key 2006 findings include: almost 20% of Florida’s residents had no healthcare coverage in 2002-2005, worse than all but two of the nation’s states; median wage well below national norms; drop in family incomes; positive outcomes from new state minimum wage law.

 

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

 

Grading State Systems for Adults with Serious Mental Illness
A National Alliance on Mental Illness report grades each state's public mental health system for adults with serious mental illness, and assigns the nation an overall grade of D. The report grades states on 39 criteria in the areas of infrastructure, information access, services and recovery.

 

Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIPS

Average Monthly Premiums Will Increase By 87% In 2007 For Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Providing 'Meaningful Coverage' In Doughnut Hole
Average monthly premiums in 2007 for Medicare prescription drug plans that offer "meaningful" coverage during the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap will increase by 87.4% to $103.20, compared with $55.08 in 2006. (11/1/06, Families USA)

Economists Predict Medicare Cuts Will Trigger An Exodus Of Wheelchair Providers And Sharply Reduce Patient Access
A detailed economic study concluded that cuts to the Medicare power mobility benefit scheduled to take effect on November 15 will have a devastating impact on both the industry and beneficiaries who need wheelchairs. The study forecasts an exodus of at least 1,500 wheelchair suppliers and a net cost increase to the Medicare system of $2.7 to $5.9 billion over the next eight years. The study indicates that Medicare's direct expenditures on power mobility will decline but notes the reimbursement cuts of 21 percent to 41 percent amount to price controls. The cuts to the mobility benefit will ultimately increase Medicare expenditures for hospitalization, physician services, and homecare services for beneficiaries who qualify for power wheelchairs but won't acquire them because the cuts will "impose massive short-run shutdowns of supplier firms." (11/6/06, American Association for Homecare)

Benefits of Proposed Democratic Medicare Drug Program Reforms
“Under Democratic reform proposals, the Medicare program would be empowered to negotiate for discounts on behalf of beneficiaries, reducing overall drug costs by an estimated 25%...[T]he total savings for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare drug plans are estimated to be $4.3 billion annually. Over a ten-year period, the total savings for Medicare beneficiaries would be an estimated $61 billion” (October 2006, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on government Reform-Minority Staff)

Three-fourths of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the prescription drug benefit are satisfied with their plans, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll.
The poll, conducted between Oct. 27 and Oct. 31, included responses from 2,766 U.S. adults, 177 of whom were Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the prescription drug benefit. Among Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the prescription drug benefit, 70% said that their prescription drug plans have reduced their medication costs. In addition, 82% of those respondents said that their prescription drug plans were not difficult to use, the poll found. Half of those respondents said that their prescription plans provided them with information to help reduce their medication costs, according to the poll. In addition, 73% of those respondents said that they likely will remain in the same prescription drug plans next year and 12% said that they likely will switch plans, the poll found. Among all respondents, 30% said that they agreed with enactment of the 2003 Medicare law, compared

Out-of-Pocket Costs for Cancer Patients Vary Greatly Within Medicare Part D
The cost-sharing for people with Medicare undergoing cancer treatment varies by hundreds and even thousands of dollars among Part D prescription drug plans, says a new study released by Avalere Health, an independent health care consultancy firm, and the American Cancer Society. The study compared the cost-sharing in Part D for eight cancer protocols. Cost for treatment and drugs covered by Medicare Part B did not vary, and patients were able to significantly reduce out-of-pocket spending with supplemental insurance. But the cost-sharing for drugs covered by Part D varied widely among the eight stand-alone prescription drug plans and four Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage surveyed. The cost-sharing variations were reduced, but not eliminated, when generic substitutes were available under the protocols.Plans that charge higher premiums and plans that cover drugs in the coverage gap had mixed results, the study also found.  (10/18/06, Avalere Health)

Getting the Runaround: Problems with Obtaining Accurate Information from Part D Plans
This third Issue Brief in a series on Medicare drug benefit Issues for consumers drafted by California Health Advocates and the Medicare Rights Center calls for fixing Part D Call Centers before the new enrollment period starts Nov. 15. (October 2006)

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)

 

Federal Budget/Health Care
 
This report lays to rest any claim that domestic programs like education, housing, and social services are growing uncontrollably.  From 2001-2005, domestic annual appropriations grew only 0.5 percent a year, taking inflation and population growth into account.  Defense, homeland security, and international affairs averaged 8.3 percent growth per year. (10/13/06, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities) 

 

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities Reports:
Recent Action by Congress Sets Up Larger Appropriations Cuts in Lame-Duck Session
This analysis finds that as a result of action Congress took before adjourning for the elections, widespread cuts in domestic appropriated programs are likely to be made during Congress' lame-duck session (or early next year, if Congress fails to complete action on appropriations for fiscal year 2007 in November or December).
Many Americans Not Sharing in the Growing Economy
Tax Cuts: Myths and Realities

Health Insurance, Health Costs

 

Consumer Spending on Outpatient Drugs Jumps 89% in Four Years
U.S. spending on prescription drugs obtained in the outpatient setting nearly doubled from 1999-2003 to $141 billion for brand name drugs and $36.6 billion for generics, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Brand name drug purchases by the civilian non-institutionalized population increased to 1.7 billion from 1.3 billion, while generic purchases increased to 1.1 billion from 0.8 billion. (10/11/06, AHRQ)

 

As Health Care Costs Take a Toll, Some Changes Win Broad Backing
A wide-ranging September poll of 1,201 Americans' views on the nation's health system found that costs in the nation's health care system are ensnaring millions more Americans: One in four report problems paying their medical bills, and nearly three in 10 -- rising to nearly half of women with children -- have put off treatment because of the cost, often despite a serious illness or condition. Both are new highs in polls dating back a decade or more. Such problems contribute to substantial public disapproval of the country's health care system overall, in terms of its cost, the level of uninsured Americans, and to a lesser extent, the quality of care. Yet most people remain satisfied with their own personal costs, coverage and care --experience that makes the risk of change less attractive. Still, support for change does exist. Most Americans, 56 percent, favor shifting from the current health system to a taxpayer-financed universal health insurance program. But there are provisos: Support has slipped a bit from its 2003 level, as Republicans have moved farther away from the idea. And support for universal coverage drops sharply if it means higher costs, waiting lists for some care or less choice of doctors or treatments. Support goes much higher for other, somewhat less fundamental, changes. Large majorities favor employer mandates, expanded government health insurance programs and special aid to provide low-income Americans with health coverage. Many of these are not only supported by much of the public, but "strongly" so. Full poll results are available. (10/16/06, ABC News, USA Today, Kaiser Family Foundation)

 

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)

 

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) 

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

 

Discrimination Contributes To African-American Health Disparities

The experience of racial discrimination may be a key factor in explaining why African Americans have higher rates of obesity and suffer at higher rates from such diseases as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, according to UCLA researchers. Repeated responses to such discrimination - which include elevated blood pressure and heart rate - can cause enormous stress on a person's mental and physical health, according to research scheduled to be published. (Volume 58, Annual Review of Psychology)

 

Low Health Literacy Interferes With Good Health Care
Communication problems with health professionals can negatively impact the outcome of medical care for some patients, according to a report by the health literacy committee of the American Medical Association. The report also revealed that inadequate health literacy may increase the risk of hospitalization. (10/31/06, Medical News Today) 

 

Multiculturalism in Health Care

Hospitals need to understand the values and traditions of the various ethnic groups within their communities. Areas all over the United States are becoming much more racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse. Previous record inflows of immigrants at the turn of the 20th century have been surpassed; the foreign-born now number more than 33 million...Our nation's increasing diversity has made providing care to diverse populations a challenge for many health care organizations. With the increasing diversity, there is a concomitant need to understand cross-cultural differences. This ethical imperative is particularly critical, given the numerous reports that document significant health disparities. (10/31/06, H&HN)

 

Black Patients Have Poorer Outcomes On Quality Of Care Measurements In Medicare Health Plans
Black patients in Medicare managed care health plans often have poorer outcomes for treatment of common and important conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, compared to white patients, according to a study in JAMA. "High-quality health plans had racial disparities that were generally comparable in magnitude to low-quality plans." (10/25/06, Harvard Medical School)

 

New Report Highlights Importance and Impact of Consumer Voice in Protecting Health Care Access and Promoting Health Care Reform
This 16-state study demonstrates that an organized consumer voice is critical in protecting or expanding health care access. The report, which examines the political, economic, and organizational factors that affect the power of consumer health advocacy, is based on interviews with more than 200 activists, policymakers, and funders in the target states. In states where consumer organizations are organized and well-supported like Colorado, Illinois and Massachusetts, consumer advocates have been the drivers of major health policy reform. But even in more challenging environments like Mississippi and Ohio, they have been the linchpins in campaigns to protect thousands of people from losing access to health coverage. The report, which was funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, pinpoints the specific capacities that result in effective consumer advocacy and makes recommendations for developing strong and organized systems of consumer advocacy in all fifty states. (10/3/06, Community Catalyst)


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)

 

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.

 

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) 

 

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 

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

November 30, 2006

 

NORTH FLORIDA  

 

Children's Week Meeting and Conference Call
Dec. 12  10:00am-Noon   Tallahassee or via phone
This meeting and call is to discuss plans for the 2007 Children's Week. The meeting will be held at United Way of Florida offices 307 E. 7th Ave., Tallahassee, FL  32303.  To participate via conference call, please use the following information:  Ph: 1-712-432-2000  Passcode: 10107. Please RSVP or write with any questions,to jason@childrensweek.org or call 850/251-7274. 

 

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.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA 

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
 
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

  

Events

 

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.

STATEWIDE

 

Events

 

Lenscrafters free eyeglasses

Dec. 5

Lenscrafters will be sponsoring a community day on December 5th. Anyone who needs new glasses and has a financial need can go to any Lenscrafters (nationwide) that day, bring their prescription and a letter from their organization with the organization's tax ID # on it and get their prescriptions filled for free.

 

Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation quarterly meeting
Dec. 5-6   Fort Lauderdale Marriott North
The meeting will include a public hearing on relevant issues effecting the publicly funded mental health and substance abuse system on Tuesday, December 5, beginning at 3:00 pm. For more information, call 850/410-1576 or write Ellen_Piekalkiewicz@dcf.state.fl.us.

 

Children's Week Meeting and Conference Call
Dec. 12  10:00am-Noon   Tallahassee or via phone
This meeting and call is to discuss plans for the 2007 Children's Week. The meeting will be held at United Way of Florida offices 307 E. 7th Ave., Tallahassee, FL  32303.  To participate via conference call, please use the following information:  Ph: 1-712-432-2000  Passcode: 10107. Please RSVP or write with any questions,to jason@childrensweek.org or call 850/251-7274. 


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 

KidCare Renewal
It's not too late to renew KidCare coverage for uninsured children by calling toll-free 1-800/821-5437. Have your Florida KidCare Family Account Number ready when you call. If any previous KidCare applications should no longer be used, but instead, download the new version at www.floridakidcare.org. Florida KidCare will no longer except old versions of the application under any condition.  If submitted, those applications will be returned and will delay coverage for those in need of healthcare services.   

  STATE HEALTH EVENTS AND NOTICES

November 30, 2006

 

NORTH FLORIDA  

 

Children's Week Meeting and Conference Call
Dec. 12  10:00am-Noon   Tallahassee or via phone
This meeting and call is to discuss plans for the 2007 Children's Week. The meeting will be held at United Way of Florida offices 307 E. 7th Ave., Tallahassee, FL  32303.  To participate via conference call, please use the following information:  Ph: 1-712-432-2000  Passcode: 10107. Please RSVP or write with any questions,to jason@childrensweek.org or call 850/251-7274. 

 

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.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA 

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
 
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

  

Events

 

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.

STATEWIDE

 

Events

 

Lenscrafters free eyeglasses

Dec. 5

Lenscrafters will be sponsoring a community day on December 5th. Anyone who needs new glasses and has a financial need can go to any Lenscrafters (nationwide) that day, bring their prescription and a letter from their organization with the organization's tax ID # on it and get their prescriptions filled for free.

 

Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation quarterly meeting
Dec. 5-6   Fort Lauderdale Marriott North
The meeting will include a public hearing on relevant issues effecting the publicly funded mental health and substance abuse system on Tuesday, December 5, beginning at 3:00 pm. For more information, call 850/410-1576 or write Ellen_Piekalkiewicz@dcf.state.fl.us.

 

Children's Week Meeting and Conference Call
Dec. 12  10:00am-Noon   Tallahassee or via phone
This meeting and call is to discuss plans for the 2007 Children's Week. The meeting will be held at United Way of Florida offices 307 E. 7th Ave., Tallahassee, FL  32303.  To participate via conference call, please use the following information:  Ph: 1-712-432-2000  Passcode: 10107. Please RSVP or write with any questions,to jason@childrensweek.org or call 850/251-7274. 


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 

KidCare Renewal
It's not too late to renew KidCare coverage for uninsured children by calling toll-free 1-800/821-5437. Have your Florida KidCare Family Account Number ready when you call. If any previous KidCare applications should no longer be used, but instead, download the new version at www.floridakidcare.org. Florida KidCare will no longer except old versions of the application under any condition.  If submitted, those applications will be returned and will delay coverage for those in need of healthcare services.   

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