Ciara, Kelly Rowland, MTV’s Sway Calloway and New Boyz Join Effort to Help Get Out the Word about HIV and STD Testing

New York, NY, June 16, 2010 — The first Be Greater Than AIDS: Get Yourself Tested Week will kick off on June 19th, calling on Americans, especially young people, to get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the week leading up to National HIV Testing Day (June 27th). The campaign will spotlight 10 cities — Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, and Washington D.C. –where free testing is available and other special events are taking place.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), one in five of the more than one million Americans living with HIV aren’t aware that they have it.  HIV and other more common STDs often show no symptoms and thus frequently go undiagnosed.  Testing and treatment can save lives and reduce the further spread of HIV and other STDs.

The special week long promotion brings together GYT: Get Yourself Tested, a year-round campaign spearheaded by MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the CDC and Planned Parenthood to increase testing for STDs, including HIV, among young people, and Greater Than AIDS, a national movement launched last year by Kaiser and the Black AIDS Institute to respond to the domestic AIDS crisis, in particular the disproportionate epidemic facing Black Americans.  Gilead Sciences, Inc. provided financial resources to support the promotion.

“Testing is about community. We will never get the HIV epidemic under control until everyone understands that we are all in this together,” said Frank Oldham, Jr., President and CEO of the National Association of People With AIDS.  “Getting tested should be part of every American’s routine health care, from adolescence through senior years, and no one should be stopped from getting tested by fear or shame.”

Elements of Be Greater than AIDS: Get Yourself Tested Week include:

• Free HIV Testing and events in 10 Cities: Young people can log on to http://www.GYTNOW.org to find locations offering free HIV testing during the week.  Additionally, Planned Parenthood health centers in select cities will open their doors to offer free and low cost HIV testing on select days during the week. Counseling on other STDs will also be provided.  Select Walgreens stores in Chicago will also offer free HIV testing on June 25th and will support the effort with in-store promotions.  For more information about locations and times, visit:  http://www.GYTnow.org
• Celebs Talk Testing: Ciara, Kelly Rowland, MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway, New Boyz and other celebrities will urge young people to take action to know their status in a series of new TV and radio public service ads (PSAs) produced by MTV and in some local market interviews and events.
• Media Partners: A cross-section of media partners, including MTV, Clear Channel Radio, CBS Radio, and Radio One, among others are providing significant airtime for the campaign’s PSAs.  Some other ways the media partners are helping to get out the message include:
  • Clear Channel Radio will debut on June 19 “I Am Greater Than AIDS,” a half hour special radio show hosted by renowned entertainer, author and radio personality Steve Harvey.
  • In Atlanta, HOT 107.9 (Radio One) will kick off the week at its annual Birthday Bash, June 19th, with an on-stage call out by talent and promotions throughout the Birthday Bash arena.
  • In Washington, DC, WPGC — 95.5 (CBS Radio) DJ, Anji Corely will get tested on air as part of the promotion.
• New Mobile App:  MTV will unveil a new iPhone application based on Pos or Not, an interactive game initially launched online with the Kaiser Family Foundation that challenges stereotypes and breaks down the barriers that may prevent people from talking openly about HIV/AIDS, getting tested, and using protection.  People from across the U.S. — half of whom are living with HIV and half who are not — share parts of their lives for “Pos or Not” by divulging their HIV status to help dispel myths and misconceptions about HIV and AIDS.  Players confront their own HIV stereotypes as they guess whether a profiled participant is positive or negative based only on a photo and a few personal details, such as what they do on the weekends or their favorite kind of music.  To date, the game has been played 10.1 million times online.
• Targeted Online Resources: In addition, a customized web page at http://www.GYTNOW.org provides information about free testing and events in each city as well as other informational and community resources.  Beyond the 10 cities, users can use the site’s testing location finder to identify local resources anywhere in the country by simply entering a zip code.  The site also offers a multitude of resources including facts about STDs and talking tips on how to discuss STD testing with partners, parents, and health care providers.

Be Greater Than AIDS: Get Yourself Tested Week is supported by the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), which launched the first National HIV Testing Day in 1995, along the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD).  State and local health departments identified free testing locations and are helping to support the effort with additional outreach and special events.

For more information about Be Greater Than AIDS:  Get Yourself Tested Week, visit http://www.GYTNOW.org.

The June 2010 issue of the journal Health Affairs is dedicated to health reform, and “begins to tackle the hundreds of implementation issues inherent in health reform and offers prescriptions for averting trouble,” according to Editor-in-Chief Susan Dentzer. The issue features an article by Kaiser researchers examining past and present polling related to reform and showing how a surprisingly stable public opinion tracked with historic patterns, even if the contentious public debate suggested a volatile public mood in 2009 and 2010.

This issue brief examines new opportunities under the health reform law for states to balance their Medicaid long-term care delivery systems by expanding access to Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) programs. The brief outlines key provisions of the new law that expand HCBS benefit options, broaden financial and functional eligibility criteria, and provide additional financial incentives for states to further shift their Medicaid long-term services budgets to non-institutional settings.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

The start of summer finds Americans remain divided on the health reform law, but favorable views of the new law increased seven percentage points over the past month to 48 percent, compared to 41 percent who have “generally unfavorable” views and 10 percent who have yet to make up their minds.

With four months remaining until the midterm congressional elections, an early look suggests that the contests could be impacted by a number of different issues, with the economy in the lead but health care also in the mix.

Roughly a third (35%) of registered voters say that a candidate who voted for the health reform law will be more likely to get their vote, a third (32%) say such a candidate would be less likely to get their vote, and a third (31%) say the candidate’s vote for the law would not matter either way. The results vary greatly by party identification.

Across political party lines, most Americans believe that the disagreements between candidates of both political parties on the merits of the health reform law stem more from efforts to gain political advantage (65%) than from genuine policy differences (29%).

Support for individual elements of the law reported in earlier tracking polls has not slipped; many remain very popular, including on a bipartisan basis. Those with support from strong, bipartisan majorities of Americans include the health insurance exchange (94% of Democrats (D) have a favorable view, 88% of independents (I), and 77% of Republicans (R)), tax credits to small business (89% D, 79% I, 79% R), assistance with the Medicare doughnut hole (96% D, 77% I, 71% R), high-risk pool for those with pre-existing conditions (85% D, 78% I, 67% R), and insurance subsidies for individuals (90% D, 73% I, 63% R). By far the least popular element asked about is the individual mandate, which is viewed favorably by about a third (34%) of Americans.

Findings (.pdf)

Chartpack (.pdf)

Toplines (.pdf)

This data spotlight examines at enrollment trends in Medicare Advantage plans, including Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans. These plans are paid by the government to provide Medicare-covered benefits to those who choose to enroll in them.

As of March 2010, a record 11.1 million people – nearly one in four of all Medicare beneficiaries – were enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans, up from 10.5 million in March 2009. The gain in enrollment occurred even though the total number of Medicare Advantage plans declined between 2009 and 2010. Notably, while most Medicare beneficiaries have dozens of private Medicare Advantage plans available in their community, enrollment is highly concentrated among a small number of firms in nearly all states.

This spotlight is one in a series looking at the 2010 Medicare Advantage plan options and trends around the Medicare Advantage plan. These spotlights were prepared by a team of researchers at Mathematica Policy Research Inc. and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Data Spotlight (.pdf)

While most people in the U.S. get health insurance through their employer, about 14 million people under age 65 have coverage through the non-group or individual market, which has faced scrutiny recently in news reports about some insurers’ steep rate increases and in the market reforms in the new health reform law that will take effect in 2014.

This survey provides insight into the current state of the non-group market and finds policyholders report that their insurers most recently requested premium increases averaging 20 percent. Most say they paid the increase, but some say they switched plans, either buying a less expensive policy from their current insurer or switching companies altogether.

The survey also provides national data on the average premiums and deductibles reported by people who buy their own coverage in the non-group market. It examines policyholders’ views and experiences with non-group coverage and a focused look at the issues facing policyholders with pre-existing conditions.

The survey involved a nationally representative random sample of 1,038 people ages 18-64 who purchase their own health coverage, conducted between March 19 and April 2, 2010.

News Release

Report (.pdf)

Toplines (.pdf)

The ability to maintain health insurance in the face of rising costs and an uncertain economy is a key concern for families and featured prominently in the health reform debate. While the percentage of the population without coverage at any one time changes by only a relatively small amount over a one- or two-year period, the percentage of people who start out with coverage and lose it for a meaningful amount of time during the same period can be much larger. Lapses in coverage affect millions of Americans and contribute to the worries that many have about their financial and health security.

This brief by Kaiser Family Foundation researchers presents information about changes in health insurance status for adults age 18 to 64 with coverage in January 2006 and shows their health insurance status through December 2007. It also presents the alternative, examining gains in coverage over the two-year period among those that began the period uninsured.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

Slides

This updated issue brief from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines key issues related to state financing and the expansion of the Medicaid program under the new health reform law.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

Washington, D.C. — The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has selected 12 individuals as the 2010 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars.  The Scholars have an opportunity to learn first-hand about health policy and the policymaking process during a nine-week position as staff to a congressional office.

The Foundation established the Barbara Jordan Scholars Program in memory of former U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan — the first African American woman elected to Congress from Texas and a deeply respected member of the Foundation’s board of trustees.

“This year’s group of bright young Scholars will have a unique opportunity to delve into health policy during the early implementation of comprehensive national health reform,” Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman said. “The experience and insights that they gain will help prepare these students to be future leaders in our country, which is a fitting legacy for Barbara Jordan.”

The program is designed to introduce recent college graduates with an interest in issues affecting racial and ethnic minority and underserved communities to the federal legislative process and current issues in health policy.  In addition to working on Capitol Hill, Scholars participate in seminars and site visits organized by the Foundation to broaden their knowledge of health policy issues.  Under the guidance of the Foundation’s staff, the Scholars also complete an in-depth analysis of a health policy issue and produce a policy memo.

This year’s Scholars were chosen from more than 250 applicants.  Cara James, Ph.D., is the director of the Barbara Jordan Scholars Program at the Foundation.  The program operates in partnership with Howard University.

More information about the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program is available online.

The 12 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars for 2010 are:

Randall BaldassarreHometown: San Mateo, CASchool: Rice UniversityMajor: Hispanic Studies and Biochemistry & Cell BiologyPlacement: House Energy and Commerce (Minority Staff)

Ashley CastilloHometown: Mesa, AZSchool: Arizona State UniversityMajor: MicrobiologyPlacement: Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

Trenell DarbyHometown: Kenosha,WISchool: University of Wisconsin-MadisonMajor: NursingPlacement: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)

Alexandra FergusonHometown: Seattle, WASchool: Brown UniversityMajor: Political SciencePlacement: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (Majority Staff)

Yvette GonzalezHometown: Salt Lake City, UTSchool: University of UtahMajor: Social Justice Education & Community Based ResearchPlacement: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Mariah JonesHometown: Broken Arrow, OKSchool: Howard UniversityMajor: BiologyPlacement: Rep. Donna Christian-Christensen (D-VI)

Elizabeth LamosteHometown: Troy, MISchool: Columbia UniversityMajor: Sociology and Political SciencePlacement: Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Victoria MaciasHometown: Santa Fe, NMSchool: Colorado State UniversityMajor: Natural Sciences and SpanishPlacement: Sen. Thomas Udall (D-NM)

Elieth MartinezHometown: Los Angeles, CASchool: University of California San DiegoMajor: Human BiologyPlacement: Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)

Ryan O’QuinnHometown: Miami, FLSchool: University of PittsburghMajor: Neuroscience and EconomicsPlacement: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

Nitrecus SimmonsHometown: Atlanta, GASchool: Bennett College for WomenMajor: BiologyPlacement: Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

Rebecca SnidermanHometown: Barrington, RISchool: Brandeis UniversityMajor: Sociology and PhilosophyPlacement: Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information, research and analysis on health issues.

Analysis Projects Steep Decreases in Uninsured, With Federal Government Covering Vast Majority of CostsWASHINGTON — The expansion of Medicaid under the new health reform law will significantly increase the number of people covered by the program and markedly reduce the uninsured in states across the country, with the federal government picking up the overwhelming majority of the cost, according to a state-by-state analysis released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU).

The analysis, performed by John Holahan and Irene Headen of the Urban Institute for the Foundation, is among the first to show for all 50 states and the District of Columbia the distribution of new Medicaid enrollees and costs, as well as the impact on the uninsured.  Health reform will offer Medicaid coverage to millions of low-income adults for the first time and help establish a national floor for Medicaid eligibility that contrasts sharply with the wide variation in eligibility across state Medicaid programs today.

States with large uninsured populations today are expected to see the biggest increases in the numbers of people who obtain health coverage through Medicaid.  California and Texas, for example, two states with considerable numbers of uninsured residents, are each projected to see 1.4 million fewer uninsured adults in 2019 due to the Medicaid expansion, with the federal government covering 95 percent of the cost in Texas and 94 percent in California.

“For a relatively small investment of state dollars, states could see huge returns in terms of additional coverage for their lowest income residents — with federal dollars covering the bulk of the bill,” said Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Foundation and executive director of the KCMU.

Nationally, the analysis projects that Medicaid enrollment will climb by 15.9 million more people by 2019 than it otherwise would have, and the number of uninsured will fall by more than 11 million.  The cost of the Medicaid expansion between 2014 and 2019 would be jointly financed with the federal government paying $443.5 billion (or 95.4 % of the total cost) and the states contributing $21.2 billion.MethodsIt is difficult to predict the impact of the new Medicaid outreach and enrollment efforts under health reform, as well has how states will respond.  So the analysis contemplates two scenarios and applies a uniform rate of enrollment (participation rate) among those eligible for Medicaid.

The “Standard Scenario” approximates participation rates used by the Congressional Budget Office to achieve the 16 million-person increase in Medicaid enrollment by 2019.  The “Enhanced Scenario” examines the potential impact of more aggressive outreach efforts by federal and state governments, community based organizations and providers combined with the influence of the new individual mandate that everyone obtain health coverage.  It demonstrates the higher level of enrollment (and costs) that might be achieved if newly eligible people were to enroll at much higher rates than are seen among already eligible populations today. Of course, due to fiscal, political and administrative pressures, it is possible that some states may not achieve the expected enrollment gains contemplated under either scenario, leading to smaller increases in coverage and costs.

Both scenarios examine the coverage and cost impact of the Medicaid expansion for adults with annual incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, which is $14,404 for an individual under current poverty guidelines.  The scenarios do not account for the impact of reform for children or state savings related to reductions in uncompensated care costs or reductions in Medicaid coverage for adults currently covered above 133% FPL.  Nor do they factor in other changes in Medicaid in health reform related to provider payment rates, changes to the drug rebates or new options related to payment reform.

For more data on how individual states are expected to be affected, see Table 1 in the executive summary of the report.The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information and analysis on health issues.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured provides information and analysis on health care coverage and access for the low-income population, with a special focus on Medicaid’s role and coverage of the uninsured. Begun in 1991 and based in the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Washington, D.C. office, the Commission is the largest operating program of the Foundation. The Commission’s work is conducted by Foundation staff under the guidance of a bipartisan group of national leaders and experts in health care and public policy.

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