CSG Health News with corrected links

June 2010

From the Director's Desk

Must Reads from Health Policy Director Debra Miller

Colorado, Maryland and North Carolina lead the states that will open high-risk pools July 1, and at least 40 states total will be accepting patients into high risk pools by mid-July.

RAND Corporation reports few health reform options would have covered more people at a lower cost than the new law.

The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute released state-by-state estimates of the costs to meet the Medicaid coverage expansion mandated for 2014.

North Carolina's successful program where physicians are schooled on how to work with obese children will expand across the country by the health insurance sponsor.

In This Issue

Federal Health Reform

State Health Coverage, Medicaid

Preventing Injuries and Infections

HIV and STD Prevention

Obesity, Child and Adolescent Health

Health Disparities

Other News

CSG Resources

New from CSG:

Provider Taxes

Soda Taxes

CSG Webinars:

How New Federal Health Insurance Law Will Affect States

"Know Your Status" - States and Communities Fight STDs and HIV

State Trends & Facts

Medicaid:

Policy Actions

Enrollment and Spending

Eligibility, including CHIP

Other:

Medical Malpractice Reform

Adolescent Vaccines

Alzheimer's Disease

Supp. Nutrition Assistance

Economic Impact of Substance Abuse

State-by-state profiles

on STD, HIV & Teen Pregnancy Prevention

50 State Facts:

HIV/AIDS

Adolescent Sexual Health

Briefs:

Overcoming Women's Sexual Health Disparities

STD, HIV & Teen Pregnancy in Youth

Federal Health Reform, Medicare

Actions:

Extension of enhanced Medicaid match (Jan. 1 to June 30, 2011) begun under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act fails in three U.S. Senate votes.Reuters. Politico . Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of states' loss . Vermont backs down on asking seniors to send $250 Medicare "donut hole" checks to state government after letter from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The state's VPharm program provides drugs free of charge to seniors and had counted on the rebates to balance the state budget. Tennessee Senate approves bill to instruct the state attorney general to sue the federal government if it penalizes any person for failing to buy health insurance.

The Department of Health and Human Services releases$51 millionfor state Health Insurance Premium Review Grants, requiring states to submit a plan for using up to $1 million to enhance review of health insurance premium requests. The department announces$500 million in federal funds for prevention and public health under the Affordable Care Act. Half of the funds will expand the primary health care work force and the rest will support prevention activities and develop the nation's public health infrastructure.

Patients' Bill of Rights (for health insurance) will take effect in September. President Obama signs bill to delay fee reduction for Medicare physicians until Nov. 30.

Resources:
The Council of State Governments:

Webinar: How the new health insurance law will affect states

The Book of the States: Data and details about state implementation of health reform

Other sources:
healthreform.gov webchats and updates from Department of Health and Human Services

Patients' Bill of Rights

fact sheet

Explaining the basics of health reform

Summary of the health reform legislationImplementation timeline

Health Reform GPS implementation of federal health reform
Health reform provisions on public health work force

State Medicaid cost reductions and increases under health reform
Massachusetts health reform evidence and lessons learned

State Health Coverage, Medicaid, Public Health

Actions:

Connecticut is the first state approved under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid eligibility to an estimated 45,000 single, childless adults. New York budget struggles to overcome lack of federal Medicaid matching funds.Massachusetts efforts to cap private insurance premiums are in doubt.

Washington program that improves services to veterans eligible for Veterans Administration benefits and saves Medicaid resources is adopted by other states. Medicaid directors from Arizona, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Oregon and Pennsylvania are selected for 2011 Medicaid Leadership Institute. Trends:
Mississippicommunity mental health center funding problems may force closure of some facilities at the end of fiscal year. People purchasing their own health insurance in the non-group or individual market face premium increases averaging 20 percent , and only 1 in 6 switch to a less costly plan.

Resources:
The Council of State Governments:
Medicaid 101: A Primer for State Legislators

Medicaid Policy Actions

Medicaid Enrollment and Spending

Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility
Other sources:
Medicaid: A Primer

Wisconsin's BadgerCare Plus

State Health Profiles

Reforming how Medicaid pays providers

Public health localities in the news

Preventing Injuries and Infections

Actions:
Iowaadopts real-time tracking of pseudoephedrine purchases and ingredients used by meth labs. Mississippi makes the drug available by prescription only, and the same approach is successfully used in Oregon.
Trends:
Michigan program successfully reduces hospital infections and deaths and 49 other states will adopt it. New report shows 1 in 5 high school students abuses prescription drugs. Campaign brings attention to preventing overuse injuries among teen athletes.

Resource: Health effects of Gulf oil spill

HIV and STD Prevention

Actions:
Missouri (House Bill 1375)and Rhode Island (House Bill 7450) legislatures approve expedited partner therapy. June 27 is National HIV Testing Day and events are held in states and communities across the U.S.

Trends:
Budget shortfalls force 11 states to no longer accept new patients to AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, limiting access to AIDS treatment. At the World Cup in South Africa, which has the largest number of HIV victims in the world, local and international celebrities at the event encouraged HIV testing and treatment.

Resources:
HIV in the US, 2008 newest statistics for HIV and AIDS
English/Spanish translation U.S. terms used in HIV prevention
HIV Screening. Standard Care. information for physicians on routine HIV Screening
HIV, Other STD and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Facts state-by-state facts

Obesity, Child and Adolescent Health
Actions:
Ohio enacts the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Act, creating a commission to recommend health and education policies to address childhood obesity. Michigan state and local governments and community groups ramp up efforts to make fresh, healthy produce more widely available. North Carolina's successful program where physicians are schooled on how to work with obese children expands across the country.

Missouri joins 20 other states with insurance coverage for autism through House Bill 1311, which allows up to $40,000 annually for treatment of children 18 and younger.

Indiana expands immunizations required for middle and high school enrollment. California encourages immunizations, particularly for Latinos, to combat an epidemic that may become the largest in 50 years.

Trends:
Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia.Employers pay workers to lose weight with unclear results. Children are more likely to be obese if they live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Recess coaches innovatively resolve school yard disputes and get kids moving. Doctors and lawyers partner to solve the problems causing childhood diseases. Fewer than 20 percent of high school students are physically active.

Resources:
California success in reducing teen pregnancy

State measures on physical activity for adults and high school students
State report cards on breaking the cycle of teen dating violence

breaking the cycle of teen dating violence

	Health Disparities
Action: Baltimore, Maryland's health department gives the city a "D" report card for health disparities. and launches initiatives to bring the grade up in future biannual scores. Trends: Health reform will help Hispanics without access to medical care.

Other News

Tobacco Use:
South Carolina no longer has the nation's lowest tobacco taxes as of July 1, when a 50-cent increase goes into effect.South Carolina smoke-free work place laws are recognized by the Americans for Nonsmokers Rights for the second year running. New Food and Drug Administration regulations aim to keep youth from using tobacco products.

Health Information Technology:
Texas state databases are vulnerable to hackers, signaled by a breach of the state cancer patient registry information.

Department of Health and Human Services awards $84 million for health centers to adopt electronic medical records and other electronic information systems.