The Commission initiated an examination of five states’ Medicaid programs and their overall fiscal situation in mid-2001. Below are the five state case studies.

• Medicaid and State Budgets: A Case Study of Idaho
• Medicaid and State Budgets: A Case Study of North Carolina
• Medicaid and State Budgets: A Case Study of Missouri
• Medicaid and State Budgets: A Case Study of Indiana
• Medicaid and State Budgets: A Case Study of Texas
• Click here to read an overview of the studies.

Solvency or Affordability? Ways to Measure Medicare’s Financial Health

This report examines different ways of measuring Medicare s financial health and considers their implications for the future of the program and the people it serves. Using an alternative measure of Medicare’s long-term affordability that focuses on workers’ capacity to absorb additional costs over time, the analysis concludes that the nation could afford to pay more for Medicare in the future without imposing an undue burden on working Americans.

• Report

Selected findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s forthcoming National Survey of Physicians reveal that most physicians are aware of racial disparities in medical treatment for specific conditions, but they don’t believe it is a widespread problem. In sharp contrast, African American physicians disagree with their fellow physicians with nearly eight in ten (77%) believing race and ethnicity impact how people are treated at least somewhat often. Physicians see insurance status as a key determinate of treatment within the health care system, with more than seven in ten (72%) saying that the system very or somewhat often treats people unfairly based on their health insurance status. The survey of 2,608 physicians also includes findings on views of male and female physicians and views of Asian and Latino physicians on disparities based on a variety of other demographic characteristics.

Highlights and Chartpack (.pdf)

This issue brief examines the federal, state, and local policies that guide approaches to sex education today. It also examines recent research into community-level experiences and practices, as well as emerging evidence about the effectiveness of different types of sex education curricula.

• Issue Update:

This study examines Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and spending among beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in 10 states by analyzing 1995 enrollment and claims data from a new 12-state database. The study finds that dual-eligibles are relatively high users of the Medicaid pharmacy benefit, with substantial variation in both drug use and spending among this population across the 10 study states. This variation appears to persist independent of beneficiaries’ health status and is likely attributable to cross-state differences in Medicaid eligibility criteria, pharmacy benefit features, provider behavior, and other unmeasured beneficiary characteristics.

• Report

The Uninsured and Their Access to Health Care

A fact sheet outlining the uninsured problem using year 2000 data.

• Fact Sheet

Health Insurance Coverage in America: 2000 Data Update

This chart book provides year 2000 data on health insurance coverage, with special attention to the uninsured. It includes trends and major shifts in coverage and a profile of the uninsured population.

• Chartbook
• The Uninsured and Their Access to Health Care
• Link to other Health Insurance Coverage in America chartbooks.

Compared to women, men are less likely to think about their sexual health – let alone make regular visits to the doctor. However, new research from the Alan Guttmacher Institute shows that reproductive health services should be provided to men, for their own sake. There is also no dispute that men’s sexual health directly affects women.

On March 12, David Landry, Senior Research Associate at the Alan Guttmacher Institute, presented the findings of a new, in-depth examination of men’s health and reproductive health throughout their lives at the latest Emerging Issues in Reproductive Health Briefing. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion of leading experts on men’s sexual health, featuring Freya Sonenstein, Ph.D., Director of Population Studies Center, The Urban Institute; David Bell, M.D., Medical Director of the Young Men’s Clinic, Columbia University; and Nancy Mosher, N.P., President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

• Agenda
• Resource List
• Biographies of Participants
• Link to the Alan Guttmacher Institute Study

Capitol Hill Briefing

HIV remains a leading cause of death among Latinos in the United States, and Latinos with HIV are less likely than whites to receive early care. The rate of AIDS cases among Latinos is almost four times the rate among whites. In addition, Latinos face many unique hurdles to reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS in their communities.

Representative Ciro D. Rodriguez (D-Texas) delivers the opening remarks and Ingrid M. Duran, president and CEO, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute moderates this briefing, a part of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Capitol Hill Briefing Series on HIV/AIDS. The featured panelists are Claude Allen, deputy secretary, Health and Human Services; Jennifer Kates, senior program officer, Kaiser Family Foundation; Daniel C. Montoya, director, Governtment Affairs, AIDS Project Los Angeles; and Charlene Doria-Ortiz, executive director, Center for Health Policy Development.

For more details on the briefing and a link to a webcast of the briefing click on Capitol Hill Briefing Series on HIV/AIDS.

Excerpts from a forthcoming report based on a national survey of South African youth ages 12-17. The survey was conducted October to November 2001 among a nationally representative sample of 2204 youth, and was designed to shed light on how South African youth view their lives today and what they think about their futures, with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviour. It also provides some initial data on South African young people’s awareness of, attitudes towards, and experiences with loveLife. The parents and guardians of the 12-17 year-olds were also surveyed about their views and experiences related to open communication about sex and sexuality and about loveLife.

• Executive Summary
• Chart Pack