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03/05/10 Engaging consumers more directly in their care may improve health outcomes and help control the costs of care. This briefing, cosponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the AARP Public Policy Institute, focused on the potential for changing consumer behavior to promote the use of effective interventions and discourage unnecessary care.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 are now law. But many people have questions about the new reforms. To answer questions about the major provisions of these two laws, the Alliance for Health Reform and The Commonwealth Fund sponsored an April 16 briefing.
A new KFF analysis examines a range of measures that may make it harder for states to respond to possible federal Medicaid cuts and finds that six states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, and West Virginia) rank in the top five for multiple risk categories. Across four broad categories of measures that could affect demand for Medicaid and states’ abilities to raise revenue or reduce spending—population demographic characteristics, health status of Medicaid enrollees, available revenue and state budget choices, and health care costs and access to care—KFF finds that 15 states rank in the top five for at least one category of risk factors.
AIAN individuals experience significant health disparities compared to their White counterparts. People who identified as AIAN alone have shorter life expectancies (70.1 vs 78.4 years at birth), higher rates of chronic diseases, and higher rates of suicide deaths and substance use disorder.
Major federal changes to Medicaid and other health-related policies could impact children’s health in the coming years. This issue brief explores the latest data on Medicaid and children’s health and highlights five key issues to watch as those federal changes are implemented.
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