Since Texas enacted the first law explicitly authorizing suits by enrollees in health plans offered by managed care organizations (MCOs) and other insurers, several other states have adopted similar legislation. This report, prepared by Patricia Butler, J.D., Dr.Ph., for the Kaiser Family Foundation, briefly describes the key features of these state laws, legal challenges that have been raised to some of them, and early experiences in states whose laws are in effect. The key features of the laws in eight states are outlined in a table that accompanies this report. Updated August 2001.

• Report

Women and Medicare: Making the Connection

This briefing examines Medicare s role in meeting older women’s health needs, the gaps in Medicare’s benefits package for women, and the emerging debate over prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform.

Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Today, 22 million women one in five adult women rely on Medicare for basic health insurance protection. In fact, women comprise 57% of the Medicare population. Medicare helps to make health care more affordable for older women at a time in their lives when they are most likely to have multiple health problems that require ongoing and often costly medical treatment. This document, , profiles women who rely on Medicare, using the most current data available. It addresses the health needs and financial security concerns of women on Medicare. It highlights gaps in coverage, such as prescription drugs and long-term care, and presents public opinion data on women’s support for Medicare reform.

• Report

A new policy brief provides a description of the Section 1115 law, its history, and an overview of how it plays a role in the restructuring of Medicaid and SCHIP.

Summary Report

This report, : Summary Report, produced jointly by the bipartisan team of Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies and Geoff Garin of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, presents key findings from a series of eight focus groups on the Medicare program and the current debate over prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform. These groups, conducted in four cities with both elderly and non-elderly participants in June 2001, explored attitudes about Medicare and how it might be improved. Special emphasis was devoted to the ongoing debate over the addition of a Medicare prescription drug benefit.

• Medicare and Prescription Drug Focus Group Summary (PDF)

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey released in July 2001 found that 40% of American parents now own a TV equipped with a V-Chip. While parents express high levels of concern about children’s exposure to TV sex and violence, just 17% of those who own a V-Chip or 7% of all parents are using it to block programs with sexual or violent content. More than half of all parents have consulted TV ratings to decide which shows their kids can watch.

• News Release: Few Parents Use V-Chip to Block TV Sex and Violence, But More Than Half Use TV Ratings to Pick What Kids Can Watch
• Summary of Findings
• Topline
• Kids & Media @ The New Millennium Study

Marketing Medicaid and CHIP: Connecticut

CaliforniaMontanaTexasConnecticutNew JerseyUtahFloridaNew MexicoVirginiaHawaiiNew YorkWashingtonIllinoisNorth DakotaWisconsinKansasOklahomaMissouriPennsylvania

A fact sheet summarizing Medicaid spending and enrollment trends in Georgia and Rhode Island drawn from a briefing in February 2001.

• Fact Sheet

The fourth in a series of reports on implementation issues and challenges in the first year of S-CHIP finds that states have been able to enter arrangements with plans for their S-CHIP population fairly easily.

Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Because women have longer life expectancies than men, more than half (57%) of the people covered by the program are women. In 1999, there were 21 million women on Medicare 19 million ages 65 and over and another 2 million women under age 65 with disabilities who received Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. This fact sheet highlights the health needs and financial security concerns of women on Medicare. Prescription drug coverage, supplemental insurance, and out-of-pocket costs are highlighted as key issues for women.

• Fact Sheet