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This paper provides a targeted review of Tennessee's experience providing health care to individuals with special needs under TennCare, its Medicaid managed care initiative. The first part reviews the experience of TennCare Partners, the behavioral health carve-out program created in 1996. The second part reviews how TennCare's structure affects the disabled and chronically ill.
California's Undocumented Latino Immigrants: A Report on Access to Health Care Services This report provides the results of a survey of undocumented Latino immigrants in two California counties (Fresno and Los Angeles), including their access to health care services, insurance status, health status, and economic circumstances. Report
This fact sheet provides an overview of the role of Medicare and Medicaid in serving these beneficiaries, describes the health status of dual Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, and discusses issues of managed care and access to care.This fact sheet is a summary of a longer Background Paper (#2132), which is also available. Fact Sheet
The purpose of this issue paper is to explain Federal Medicaid eligibility policy for the low-income elderly population and discusses Federal and State policy options to improve coverage. Issue Paper
Employment-Based Health Insurance Coverage and its Decline:The Growing Plight of Low-Wage Workers This background paper examines the increase in uninsured workers and the growing disparity in health insurance coverage between low- and high-wage workers. While a larger proportion of higher wage workers had health coverage in 1996 than a decade before, coverage deteriorated for low-wage and less-educated workers, especially young men. The paper explores many explanations for this widening disparity. The primary cause is that…
Medicare's Role for Latinos - (Spanish version) Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a few copies may still exist in the Foundation's internal library that could be xeroxed. Please email order@kff.org if you would like to pursue this option
This report presents the results of eight focus groups conducted in several languages throughout California to explore the knowledge and opinions of parents of potentially eligible children about the Medi-Cal program, California's Medicaid program. The study found that participants were confused about eligibility requirements, found the enrollment process onerous and demeaning, and had suggestions about how they could be better educated about the program. Policy Brief: Medi-Cal Eligibility And Enrollment (.pdf) Report: Barriers to…
This Summary presents background, findings, and data from the Economic and Social Research Institute's (ESRI) full report, Privatization of Public Hospitals. Section I provides background about public hospital conversions, including the role of public hospitals, reasons for conversion, the mechanisms of conversion and new ownership entities, and analysis of national and regional public hospital data. Section II provides a discussion of the five case studies of public hospital conversions and the key findings from the…
This paper provides an overview of Medicaid eligibility policy and examines two groups of Americans in particular - low-income children and nondisabled adults under 65 - and summarizes the statutory and regulatory pathways to Medicaid eligibility available to them as individuals. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy options available to states under current law for increasing Medicaid eligibility for these two groups. Issue Paper Issue Paper
How Well Does the Employment-Based Health Insurance System Work for Low-Income Families? September 1998 Most Americans receive health insurance coverage through the workplace. Unfortunately, however, many workers are left out, especially low-wage workers and their families. Being a low paid worker does not mean just that wages are low. It also means a lower likelihood of receiving health insurance protection on the job. Low-wage workers have never been as likely as the better paid to…
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