State Health Watch Archives – August 1, 2003
August 1, 2003
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States in a box: Nothing to do but reduce their payments and benefits
Accelerating health care spending. A steep and lengthy drop in revenues. These twin evils are at the heart of the states ongoing fiscal crisis, says the National Governors Association. -
New training, technical assistance, and grants help six states manage pharmacy strategies
The goal of an initiative to support new training, technical assistance, and grant-making for up to six states interested in developing quality-focused pharmacy management strategies, which will start this fall, is to find feasible solutions that improve quality, reduce costs, and are amendable to all stakeholders. -
The cost of uninsurance: $65 billion to $130 billion
In a ground-breaking analysis, the Institute of Medicine has calculated what the United States loses each year due to poorer health and early deaths among the 41 million uninsured people in the United States. -
Behavioral managed care: Don’t dismiss it, because changes are coming
State purchasers, policy-makers, plan executives, and consumers should not dismiss public sector managed care or assume it has arrived at the end of its cycle. Thats the conclusion of a working paper published by the Lawrenceville, NJ-based Center for Health Care Strategies on what lies ahead for Medicaid behavioral managed care. -
Quality-of-life assessments view patients as partners in care
A by-product of efforts to increase patient empowerment and involvement in their own care is the use of quality-of-life assessments in evaluations of state Medicaid programs. -
Use SCHIP tactics to attract Medicare patients to Medicaid
While states budget problems are limiting interest in attracting new people to the Medicaid program, that situation will surely change at some point, and then states will be looking for ways to reach out to those eligible for Medicare. A study by Mathematica Policy Research senior health researcher Suzanne Felt-Lisk says one model that states can use to improve outreach to Medicare beneficiaries is the SCHIP program and its intense focus on enrolling all who are eligible for it.