June 2009 Share Grantee Newsletter
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SHARE Grantee Newsletter — June 2, 2009
NEWS FROM GRANTEES SHARE Grantee Sharon Long Quoted in the Boston Globe SHARE grantee Sharon Long was quoted in the Boston Globe about the findings from a new report on health care access and affordability in Massachusetts. Dr. Long co-authored the report titled “Access and Affordability: An Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts, Fall 2008,” which was published on May 28th in Health Affairs. Access to care is “generally good in Massachusetts and health reform made it better,” said Dr. Long, speaking to the Boston Globe. However, Dr. Long pointed out that national trends in health care costs have decreased affordability in the state, even with the enactment of reform: “Healthcare costs, in general, are increasing faster than inflation,” she explained (May 28, 2009). To access the article from the Boston Globe, click here. To view the full report at Health Affairs, click here. Dr. Long’s report also received featured coverage in the New York Times. Click here to view the New York Times article about her report. SHARE Grantees Ron Deprez and Elizabeth Kilbreth Contribute to Vermont Policy Meeting In early June, State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) is hosting a meeting of five state research teams to study Vermont’s health reform initiatives. The teams will convene in Vermont to learn about the state’s recent coverage expansions and delivery system reforms. SHARE grantee Ron Deprez has contributed to the planning discussion, and both he and grantee Elizabeth Kilbreth hope to issue preliminary findings from their research for distribution at the meeting. For details about the Vermont meeting, click here. GRANTEE ACTION ITEMS Health Services Research Call for Abstracts from SHARE Grantees SHARE invites abstracts to be considered for a special issue of Health Services Research (HSR) about evaluation on the implementation of state health reforms. SHARE is working with HSR on this special issue, and Lynn Blewett will serve as guest editor. This call for abstracts is open to SHARE grantees only, and proposals must focus on SHARE-sponsored research. Submissions are due by Friday, June 12, 2009. Please click here to view the full call for abstracts. RSVP for SHARE Breakfast at AcademyHealth Don’t forget SHARE’s annual breakfast at AcademyHealth. The breakfast will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 29, at the Hilton Chicago in Private Dining Room #2, Third Floor. Please RSVP to Caroline Au-Yeung at [email protected].
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SHARE will be sending out additional information about our activities at AcademyHealth— including our two panels and our new and improved booth—as the conference approaches. To learn more about the conference or to register to attend, click here. SHARE ACTIVITIES Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Researchers Meeting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation hosted a meeting on May 28, 2009, in Boston. The meeting was for researchers who are investigating health reform and access to care in Massachusetts, with the purpose of informing both researchers and state policy makers about ongoing research efforts in Massachusetts and helping to set a future research agenda for the state. SHARE grantees Sharon Long and Amy Lischko attended the meeting along with Elizabeth Lukanen from SHARE and Andy Hyman from RWJF. New Research Fellow Joins SHARE Caroline Au-Yeung has joined the SHARE program staff as a Research Fellow. Ms. AuYeung will work with SHARE’s Deputy Director, Elizabeth Lukanen, to manage grantee activities and support the operation of the program. Prior to joining SHARE, Ms. Au-Yeung conducted data collection at the Center for Health Statistics at the Minnesota Department of Health and performed qualitative data analysis for tobacco policy research at the Tobacco Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, MN. Ms. Au-Yeung holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in English from Macalester College. STATE HEALTH NEWS Iowa Governor Signs Bill Expanding Eligibility for Children's Health Coverage On May 19th, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed legislation that expands eligibility for Medicaid and Hawk-I, the state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Click here to view the text of the bill (Iowa Senate File 389). Iowa's new law increases eligibility for both Medicaid and Hawk-I from 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 300% FPL. The new law also extends Medicaid coverage to pregnant women living in households earning up to 300% FPL. To facilitate coverage expansion, the bill includes an enrollment initiative that requires Iowans to indicate on their tax returns whether their dependent children have health care coverage. If parents report that their children are not insured, and they meet income guidelines, the Iowa health department will notify them of Medicaid and Hawk-I eligibility. Using income tax records is a recent approach to identifying and enrolling uninsured eligible children in public health programs. Maryland was the first state to use this strategy, beginning in 2008, and SHARE grantee David Idala is currently evaluating Maryland's success with the strategy. To learn more about Mr. Idala's SHARE project, click here. Michigan Lawmakers Introduce New Health Reform Package Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan health reform package in the state Senate. The package, called MI Health, aims to expand health insurance coverage to Michigan’s 1.2 million uninsured residents by providing more affordable and accessible options. The reform package would:
Establish two new state health plans. “MI Access” would expand Michigan’s Medicaid program to residents with incomes under 200% FPL, and “MI Coverage” would 2
provide subsidized coverage for low-income workers with incomes between 200% and 300% FPL.
Create a state re-insurance fund financed through an assessment on insurance carriers. The “Michigan Claims Fund” would cover the costs of medical claims between $25,000 and $250,000 per year for individually-insured patients.
Prohibit insurers from denying coverage for individuals with chronic conditions or increasing premiums for those previously diagnosed with a chronic condition.
Click here to view Michigan Senate Bill (SB) 579, which details MI Access and MI Coverage. Click here to view Michigan Senate Bill 580, Chapter 37A, which describes the Michigan Claims fund and coverage for the chronically ill. Click here to access Cover Michigan, a report from the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation detailing the state of health care coverage in Michigan. OTHER NEWS Health Affairs and RWJF Introduce Health Policy Briefs Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have launched a new series of health policy briefs. The series is intended to provide background on timely and significant health policy issues as health reform discussions proceed. The briefs, written by Health Affairs senior writer, Susan Jaffe, will allow policymakers, journalists, and others to quickly review research published in Health Affairs and other key sources. The first brief explores Medicare Advantage plans, discussing the financial issues surrounding these plans as well as potential modifications to their funding. Click here to access this brief at Health Affairs, or click here to access it through RWJF. Deadline to Apply for HRSA State Health Access Grants is Coming Up Don’t forget that the application deadline for HRSA State Health Access Grants is June 16, 2009. These 5-year grants are intended to support States that are ready to implement coverage initiatives for their uninsured populations. Target grants of $2-4 million a year are available for States focusing on a particular population(s), and comprehensive grants of $710 million a year are available for large States or those planning more extensive coverage initiatives. For more information about these grants, or to apply, please click here. RWJF Report Projects Millions More Uninsured and Health Care Cost Increases without Reform RWJF released a report on May 21, 2009, titled “Health Reform: Cost of Failure” that explores health care coverage and cost during the next ten years in the absence of health reform. Researchers at the Urban Institute used a simulation model to estimate coverage and cost trends between now and 2019 under three different economic scenarios. All three scenarios showed large cost increases for businesses, families, and individuals—with middle-income, working families hit hardest. Additionally, spending on public insurance programs could double, and as many as 65.7 million Americans could be uninsured. The read the report, click here.
Rockefeller Institute Reports Sharp Decline in State Tax Revenues The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government has released a report showing that total 3
2009 first-quarter tax revenue declined in 45 of 47 early-reporting states. The report finds that overall tax revenues across the country declined by 12.6 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same quarter of 2008. Due to rising unemployment in every state, personal income tax fell 15.8% from where it was a year ago, accounting for the largest portion of the decrease in total tax revenue. Similar trends in unemployment and decreased revenue are expected in most states in the second and third quarters of 2009. Click here to visit the Rockefeller Institute’s website, or click here to view the full report. Already, at least 19 states have responded to budget shortfalls by implementing cuts that will affect low-income children’s or families’ eligibility for health insurance or reduce their access to health care services, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Click here to see the Center’s update on state budget cuts. The Southern Institute on Children and Families Releases Report on Medicaid and CHIP Retention The Southern Institute on Children and Families has released a new report titled “Medicaid and CHIP Retention: A Key Strategy to Reducing the Uninsured.” The report summarizes information from an eight-state initiative funded by RWJF and offers new approaches to reducing the number of uninsured by maximizing and maintaining the enrollment of eligible children and families in public health coverage programs across all states. The report suggests that states can benefit from examining renewal processes, understanding and effectively using data to measure renewal outcomes, surveying consumers about their renewal experiences, and reviewing consumer communications. Click here to learn more about the Retention Initiative, or click here to view the report. SHADAC and SHARE RSS Blog Feeds - New URL As of May 1, 2009, the SHADAC and SHARE RSS blog feed url has changed. If you subscribed to the SHADAC and/or SHARE RSS blog feed before May 1, 2009, and wish to continue to receive our blog feeds, please update the url:
To subscribe to both SHADAC and SHARE blog entries: http://www.shadac.org/bridging-the-gap/%2A/feed
To subscribe to SHADAC blog entries only: http://www.shadac.org/bridging-thegap/shadac/feed
To subscribe to SHARE blog entries only: http://www.shadac.org/bridging-thegap/share/feed
SEND US YOUR NEWS! If you have news items that you would like SHARE to highlight, please send them to Caroline Au-Yeung at [email protected].
SHARE is a National Program Office funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to fund, synthesize and disseminate evaluations of state health reform. Periodically, SHARE will send a newsletter outlining upcoming events, grantee activities and updates on our funded projects. For more information, visit SHARE's web site, www.statereformevaluation.org. If you wish to be removed from the SHARE mailing list, click here.
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NEWS FROM GRANTEES SHARE Grantee Sharon Long Quoted in the Boston Globe SHARE grantee Sharon Long was quoted in the Boston Globe about the findings from a new report on health care access and affordability in Massachusetts. Dr. Long co-authored the report titled “Access and Affordability: An Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts, Fall 2008,” which was published on May 28th in Health Affairs. Access to care is “generally good in Massachusetts and health reform made it better,” said Dr. Long, speaking to the Boston Globe. However, Dr. Long pointed out that national trends in health care costs have decreased affordability in the state, even with the enactment of reform: “Healthcare costs, in general, are increasing faster than inflation,” she explained (May 28, 2009). To access the article from the Boston Globe, click here. To view the full report at Health Affairs, click here. Dr. Long’s report also received featured coverage in the New York Times. Click here to view the New York Times article about her report. SHARE Grantees Ron Deprez and Elizabeth Kilbreth Contribute to Vermont Policy Meeting In early June, State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) is hosting a meeting of five state research teams to study Vermont’s health reform initiatives. The teams will convene in Vermont to learn about the state’s recent coverage expansions and delivery system reforms. SHARE grantee Ron Deprez has contributed to the planning discussion, and both he and grantee Elizabeth Kilbreth hope to issue preliminary findings from their research for distribution at the meeting. For details about the Vermont meeting, click here. GRANTEE ACTION ITEMS Health Services Research Call for Abstracts from SHARE Grantees SHARE invites abstracts to be considered for a special issue of Health Services Research (HSR) about evaluation on the implementation of state health reforms. SHARE is working with HSR on this special issue, and Lynn Blewett will serve as guest editor. This call for abstracts is open to SHARE grantees only, and proposals must focus on SHARE-sponsored research. Submissions are due by Friday, June 12, 2009. Please click here to view the full call for abstracts. RSVP for SHARE Breakfast at AcademyHealth Don’t forget SHARE’s annual breakfast at AcademyHealth. The breakfast will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 29, at the Hilton Chicago in Private Dining Room #2, Third Floor. Please RSVP to Caroline Au-Yeung at [email protected].
1
SHARE will be sending out additional information about our activities at AcademyHealth— including our two panels and our new and improved booth—as the conference approaches. To learn more about the conference or to register to attend, click here. SHARE ACTIVITIES Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Researchers Meeting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation hosted a meeting on May 28, 2009, in Boston. The meeting was for researchers who are investigating health reform and access to care in Massachusetts, with the purpose of informing both researchers and state policy makers about ongoing research efforts in Massachusetts and helping to set a future research agenda for the state. SHARE grantees Sharon Long and Amy Lischko attended the meeting along with Elizabeth Lukanen from SHARE and Andy Hyman from RWJF. New Research Fellow Joins SHARE Caroline Au-Yeung has joined the SHARE program staff as a Research Fellow. Ms. AuYeung will work with SHARE’s Deputy Director, Elizabeth Lukanen, to manage grantee activities and support the operation of the program. Prior to joining SHARE, Ms. Au-Yeung conducted data collection at the Center for Health Statistics at the Minnesota Department of Health and performed qualitative data analysis for tobacco policy research at the Tobacco Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, MN. Ms. Au-Yeung holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in English from Macalester College. STATE HEALTH NEWS Iowa Governor Signs Bill Expanding Eligibility for Children's Health Coverage On May 19th, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed legislation that expands eligibility for Medicaid and Hawk-I, the state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Click here to view the text of the bill (Iowa Senate File 389). Iowa's new law increases eligibility for both Medicaid and Hawk-I from 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 300% FPL. The new law also extends Medicaid coverage to pregnant women living in households earning up to 300% FPL. To facilitate coverage expansion, the bill includes an enrollment initiative that requires Iowans to indicate on their tax returns whether their dependent children have health care coverage. If parents report that their children are not insured, and they meet income guidelines, the Iowa health department will notify them of Medicaid and Hawk-I eligibility. Using income tax records is a recent approach to identifying and enrolling uninsured eligible children in public health programs. Maryland was the first state to use this strategy, beginning in 2008, and SHARE grantee David Idala is currently evaluating Maryland's success with the strategy. To learn more about Mr. Idala's SHARE project, click here. Michigan Lawmakers Introduce New Health Reform Package Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan health reform package in the state Senate. The package, called MI Health, aims to expand health insurance coverage to Michigan’s 1.2 million uninsured residents by providing more affordable and accessible options. The reform package would:
Establish two new state health plans. “MI Access” would expand Michigan’s Medicaid program to residents with incomes under 200% FPL, and “MI Coverage” would 2
provide subsidized coverage for low-income workers with incomes between 200% and 300% FPL.
Create a state re-insurance fund financed through an assessment on insurance carriers. The “Michigan Claims Fund” would cover the costs of medical claims between $25,000 and $250,000 per year for individually-insured patients.
Prohibit insurers from denying coverage for individuals with chronic conditions or increasing premiums for those previously diagnosed with a chronic condition.
Click here to view Michigan Senate Bill (SB) 579, which details MI Access and MI Coverage. Click here to view Michigan Senate Bill 580, Chapter 37A, which describes the Michigan Claims fund and coverage for the chronically ill. Click here to access Cover Michigan, a report from the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation detailing the state of health care coverage in Michigan. OTHER NEWS Health Affairs and RWJF Introduce Health Policy Briefs Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have launched a new series of health policy briefs. The series is intended to provide background on timely and significant health policy issues as health reform discussions proceed. The briefs, written by Health Affairs senior writer, Susan Jaffe, will allow policymakers, journalists, and others to quickly review research published in Health Affairs and other key sources. The first brief explores Medicare Advantage plans, discussing the financial issues surrounding these plans as well as potential modifications to their funding. Click here to access this brief at Health Affairs, or click here to access it through RWJF. Deadline to Apply for HRSA State Health Access Grants is Coming Up Don’t forget that the application deadline for HRSA State Health Access Grants is June 16, 2009. These 5-year grants are intended to support States that are ready to implement coverage initiatives for their uninsured populations. Target grants of $2-4 million a year are available for States focusing on a particular population(s), and comprehensive grants of $710 million a year are available for large States or those planning more extensive coverage initiatives. For more information about these grants, or to apply, please click here. RWJF Report Projects Millions More Uninsured and Health Care Cost Increases without Reform RWJF released a report on May 21, 2009, titled “Health Reform: Cost of Failure” that explores health care coverage and cost during the next ten years in the absence of health reform. Researchers at the Urban Institute used a simulation model to estimate coverage and cost trends between now and 2019 under three different economic scenarios. All three scenarios showed large cost increases for businesses, families, and individuals—with middle-income, working families hit hardest. Additionally, spending on public insurance programs could double, and as many as 65.7 million Americans could be uninsured. The read the report, click here.
Rockefeller Institute Reports Sharp Decline in State Tax Revenues The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government has released a report showing that total 3
2009 first-quarter tax revenue declined in 45 of 47 early-reporting states. The report finds that overall tax revenues across the country declined by 12.6 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same quarter of 2008. Due to rising unemployment in every state, personal income tax fell 15.8% from where it was a year ago, accounting for the largest portion of the decrease in total tax revenue. Similar trends in unemployment and decreased revenue are expected in most states in the second and third quarters of 2009. Click here to visit the Rockefeller Institute’s website, or click here to view the full report. Already, at least 19 states have responded to budget shortfalls by implementing cuts that will affect low-income children’s or families’ eligibility for health insurance or reduce their access to health care services, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Click here to see the Center’s update on state budget cuts. The Southern Institute on Children and Families Releases Report on Medicaid and CHIP Retention The Southern Institute on Children and Families has released a new report titled “Medicaid and CHIP Retention: A Key Strategy to Reducing the Uninsured.” The report summarizes information from an eight-state initiative funded by RWJF and offers new approaches to reducing the number of uninsured by maximizing and maintaining the enrollment of eligible children and families in public health coverage programs across all states. The report suggests that states can benefit from examining renewal processes, understanding and effectively using data to measure renewal outcomes, surveying consumers about their renewal experiences, and reviewing consumer communications. Click here to learn more about the Retention Initiative, or click here to view the report. SHADAC and SHARE RSS Blog Feeds - New URL As of May 1, 2009, the SHADAC and SHARE RSS blog feed url has changed. If you subscribed to the SHADAC and/or SHARE RSS blog feed before May 1, 2009, and wish to continue to receive our blog feeds, please update the url:
To subscribe to both SHADAC and SHARE blog entries: http://www.shadac.org/bridging-the-gap/%2A/feed
To subscribe to SHADAC blog entries only: http://www.shadac.org/bridging-thegap/shadac/feed
To subscribe to SHARE blog entries only: http://www.shadac.org/bridging-thegap/share/feed
SEND US YOUR NEWS! If you have news items that you would like SHARE to highlight, please send them to Caroline Au-Yeung at [email protected].
SHARE is a National Program Office funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to fund, synthesize and disseminate evaluations of state health reform. Periodically, SHARE will send a newsletter outlining upcoming events, grantee activities and updates on our funded projects. For more information, visit SHARE's web site, www.statereformevaluation.org. If you wish to be removed from the SHARE mailing list, click here.
4
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