Health News Index September/October, 2002

The Health News Index measures public attention to and knowledge about leading health stories covered in the news in August and September. The Health News Index is designed to help news media and people in the health field gain a better understanding of which health stories Americans are following and what they understand about those issues.

• HNI September-October 2002
• Topline/Survey

New Data Source on Hospital Use by California’s Medi-Cal Enrollees

A project sponsored by The Kaiser Family Foundation has resulted in a new source of data that will enhance research on the Medi-Cal program, including the impact of Medi-Cal managed care. The project linked 2 datasets: the Patient Discharge Dataset containing hospital discharge information maintained by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), and a Medi-Cal dataset containing eligibility and health plan information maintained by the California Department of Health Services (DHS). Data from these linked datasets are available for all Medi-Cal hospital discharges from 1994 through 2000.

Two research files were developed from this project a Non-identifiable Research File (NRF) and a Special Research File (SRF):

• The NRF contains patient demographic information (e.g., gender, county of residence, zip code, age, race), a record identifier, treatment data, and Medi-Cal eligibility information (e.g., eligibility status, coverage, health plan). To obtain this data, a review committee from OSHPD must first approve the release of this information and justification for specific data elements. The NRF can be obtained from the Healthcare Information Resource Center of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Questions should be directed to Mary MacDonald at (916) 322-2814 or mmacdona@oshpd.state.ca.us.
• The SRF includes the same variables as the NRF, but also includes more sensitive information such as dates and other identifiers. To obtain data from the SRF, review committees in both OSHPD and DHS must first approve a project protocol and justification. The SRF can be obtained from the Medical Care Statistics Section of the Department of Health Services. Questions should be directed to Carolyn Tagupa at (916) 651-6601 or ctagupa@dhs.ca.gov.

• Issue Brief

A broad and informative bimonthly report, the new Kaiser Health Poll Report provides key tracking information, including historical trends and in-depth analysis of public opinion about hot health care topics.

The current Featured Topic contains additional trends in public knowledge and attention to news about seniors and prescription drugs, as well as public opinion about who should be covered by a Medicare prescription drug benefit and what constitutes a good plan.

• Report
• Topline & Methodology

Rating Sex and Violence in the Media: Media Ratings and Proposals for Reform

The second release in a series of fact sheets and issue briefs on key topics in the field of children, media and health. The Media Ratings issue brief provides an overview of parental advisory ratings for movies, television, music and video games, as well as proposals to reform those rating systems.

Issue Brief: Rating Sex and Violence in the Media: Media Ratings and Proposals for Reform (pdf)

HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have had a disparate impact across the country, with some regions being harder hit than others. The southern region of the U.S., which includes 16 states and the District of Columbia, has been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS and STD epidemics. This fact sheet provides an epidemiological overview of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the southern region of the United States.

Kaiser Family Foundation Capitol Hill Briefing Series on Women’s Health Policy

Women’s health needs and economic circumstances make health coverage and access to care important throughout their lives. They are disproportionately affected by changes in policies that impact both the private and public sectors. To provide policymakers with up-to-date information and allow for an interchange of ideas with experts in the field, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, in partnership with Women’s Policy, Inc., sponsors this Capitol Hill briefing series on women’s health policy.

Each briefing in the series focuses on different aspects of Women’s Health Policy. Topics include:

• Women, Work, and Family Health: A Balancing Act
• The State Fiscal Crisis: What’s at Stake for Women’s Health?
• Challenges in Coverage and Access: Key Findings from the New Kaiser Women’s Health Survey
• A Profile of Women’s Health: An Agenda for Change
• Women and Medicare: Making the Connection
• Women and HIV/AIDS: Overlooked and Underserved
• Access to Health Coverage: Are Low-Income Women Falling Through the Cracks?
• Expanding Access and Coverage for Women’s Health Services: Are State Solutions Enough?

Women, Work, and Family Health: A Balancing Act This briefing addresses the multiple roles that women play to meet their family’s health care needs and the challenges that women face in balancing family health and workplace responsibilities. Topics covered include special challenges for low-income women as well as public and private sector work/family policies. (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)

Briefing Materials

• Agenda

The NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School Congressional Election Tracking Survey examines which issues are important to people when deciding how to vote in the November 2002 election for Congress. Just a few days prior to the election, the survey found that no single issue emerges as dominant for likely voters in deciding their vote.

• Topline & Methodology

An updated fact sheet summarizing the latest statistics and trends regarding the role of Medicaid in providing prescription drug coverage.

• Fact Sheet

• Tax Reform to Expand Health Coverage: Administrative Issues and ChallengesPrepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Jack Meyer of the Economic and Social Research Institute, this report analyzes the administrative and implementation issues associated with expanding tax subsidies for the purchase of private health insurance.
• Recent Tax Proposals to Increase Health Insurance CoverageThis report, written by Deloitte & Touche LLP, includes a side-by-side analysis of recent tax proposals by Members of Congress and various health organizations designed to increase the number of individuals with private health insurance coverage.
• This Fact Sheet provides and overview of the current tax subsidies for health insurance, generic subsidy approaches and specific proposals, the effects of tax subsidies, and implementation.
• Tax Subsidies for Health Insurance: Evaluating the Costs and BenefitsThis technical report provides 1) a description of the detailed simulation model and the assumptions used to analyze the effects of different tax subsidies for the purchase of health insurance coverage, and 2) the results of this analysis. The analysis includes the number of people who gain coverage, overall costs to the government, how much is spent on the currently insured vs. uninsured, and the effects on low-income groups. The results of this report were published in Health Affairs, “The Business of Health Insurance,” January/February 2000, Volume 19 Number 1, Project HOPE–The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc. For copies of the reprinted article, please call the Kaiser Family Foundation Publications Request Line at 1-800-656-4533 (ask for document #1571).