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We've collected information on several new reports and other resources available on the Web that we hope you'll find interesting and useful. Descriptions and links appear below. You can also view these resources on our website. The Uninsured and the Affordability of Health Insurance Coverage indicates that more than half of the nation's uninsured are ineligible for public programs and do not have enough resources to purchase coverage themselves. Childless adults made up the largest block of those who are uninsured and ineligible for public coverage, which the study attributes to a lack of eligibility for public programs such as Medicaid. (A subscription is necessary to view the full article.) The high costs associated with health care for people both with and without health insurance are leading many patients to turn to credit cards to cover health expenses. Borrowing to Stay Healthy: How Credit Card Debt Is Related to Medical Expenses examines this phenomenon and the makeup of the population of those with medical credit card debt. The slide presentation Resuming the Path to Health Coverage for Children and Parents consists primarily of charts showing the state of health insurance access for families. States have shown renewed enthusiasm for covering the uninsured, especially children, but the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) has also caused some setbacks. SCHIP Program Enrollment: June 2005 Update tracks changes in enrollment in the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from June 2004 to June 2005. Economic improvements allowed many states to relax restrictions on enrollment, resulting in a net increase in enrollment nationwide. Some states that still have heavy restrictions continued to show large decreases in enrollment. Election Survey Finds Broad Support for SCHIP notes that more than eight in 10 voters favor increasing spending on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This summary outlines the results of the survey and describes the outcomes of other public opinion surveys about health coverage for children. State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at a Glance provides basic information about SCHIP, including eligibility information as of June 2006. Medicaid Enrollment in 50 States provides data on Medicaid enrollment by state, including information updated through June 2005. Health care in the United States has become very expensive, and health care costs in the private and public sectors alike have been rising at a rapid clip. However, Medicaid Costs Are Growing More Slowly than Costs for Medicare or Private Insurance reports new data showing that Medicaid expenditures did not grow at all in fiscal year 2006 and are expected to grow only modestly in 2007. Medicare Part D Plan Characteristics provides new state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options. It illustrates the number of stand-alone plans with coverage in the "doughnut hole," as well as the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries. The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit provides the latest information and data about the Medicare Part D program. These data include a breakdown of the standard benefit, updates on additional low-income assistance, and the latest 2006 enrollment data. The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 sharply increased payments to private Medicare Advantage plans. The Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans—Updated and Revised indicates that private plans did not reduce Medicare costs in 2005 because MMA policies explicitly pay private plans more than traditional fee-for-service Medicare. In addition, these extra payments represent a potential source of funds that could be used to at least partially offset the costs of improved benefits for all Medicare enrollees. 2006 Medicare Advantage Benefits and Premiums analyzes the benefits and premiums of Medicare Advantage plans in 2006, including trends in relation to prior years, differences by plan type, and the level of financial protection provided to beneficiaries by the diverse types of plans. Employers’ Views on Incremental Measures to Expand Health Coverage examines employers’ views on the importance of health benefits and their perspective on policies aimed at improving employees’ access to coverage and quality care. Employers of all sizes hold a positive view of the value of health benefits in attracting and retaining workers and in improving workers’ health and productivity. (A subscription is necessary to view the full article.) Behind the Slow Growth of Employer-Based Consumer-Driven Health Plans finds that employees who use a consumer driven health plan (CDHP) are less likely to be given a choice of plans. Also, employers pay approximately the same amount for employees’ CDHPs as they do for traditional plans, but employees in CDHPs are faced with much higher out-of-pocket costs than those in traditional plans. The 2nd Annual EBRI-Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey finds that enrollment in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) is virtually unchanged since 2005. These plans are making little headway in reducing the number of uninsured, and they are still plagued by low levels of satisfaction and high out-of-pocket costs that deter beneficiaries from seeking care. Since the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005, most U.S. citizens and nationals applying for or renewing their Medicaid coverage face a new federal requirement to provide documentation of their citizenship status. Citizenship Documentation Requirements in Medicaid provides up-to-date information on these requirements and discusses the implications for Medicaid beneficiaries and states. Kaiser Health Disparities Report: A Weekly Look at Race, Ethnicity and Health is a new resource available through a free weekly e-mail. It summarizes and synthesizes news coverage of minority health issues and highlights studies, initiatives, and journal articles that generally do not receive mainstream news coverage. It also provides a calendar of upcoming events related to health disparities. -------- Families USA | 1201 New York Ave., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005
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