HHS offers new tools to help states lower Medicaid costs, provide better care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a series of initiatives to work with states to save money and better coordinate care for the 9 million Americans enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. The new initiatives include better access to Medicare data and better coordination of health care between Medicare and Medicaid. The initiatives will be led by the new Federal Coordinated Health Care Office (the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office), which was created by the Affordable Care Act to help make the two programs work together more effectively to improve patient care and lower costs.

“Medicaid costs are largely driven by the complex medical needs of low-income seniors and people with disabilities who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. We know that by working together, we can provide better, more coordinated care while lowering health care costs and saving money for states,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Donald M. Berwick, M.D. “Medicare and Medicaid spends $300 billion each year to care for people enrolled in both programs. Better coordinated care for this vulnerable population could yield savings and improve care and coverage in Medicaid.”

Currently, 60-percent of Medicare-Medicaid enrollees, “dual eligibles,” have multiple chronic conditions and 43-percent have at least one mental or cognitive impairment. While only 15-percent of Medicaid enrollees are also Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare-Medicaid enrollees represented 39-percent of Medicaid spending in 2007. Medicaid spent about $120 billion on this group – about twice as much as Medicaid spent on the 29 million children it covered. The Medicaid spending per Medicare-Medicaid enrollee was $15,459 in 2007, over six times higher than the comparable cost of a non-disabled adult Medicaid-only enrollee ($2,541).

The Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office today launched the Alignment Initiative, an effort to more effectively integrate benefits under the two programs. Currently, low-income seniors and people with disabilities must navigate two separate programs: Medicare for coverage of basic acute health care services and drugs, and Medicaid for coverage of supplemental benefits such as long-term care supports and services. Medicaid also provides help with Medicare premiums and cost-sharing for those who need additional assistance.

A lack of alignment between the programs can lead to fragmented or episodic care for people with both Medicare and Medicaid coverage, which can reduce quality and raise costs. For example, Medicaid and Medicare have different coverage standards for those accessing durable medical equipment in the community. This can lead to fragmented care and coverage gaps that could result in patients losing access to the treatments and equipment that help them live at home or in the community. Even temporary coverage gaps can be disruptive if patients no longer have coverage for wheelchairs or other expensive medical care. The Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office is seeking input and ideas about how to align in six areas: care coordination, fee-for-service benefits, prescription drugs, cost sharing, enrollment, and appeals. Better alignment in these areas can reduce costs by improving health outcomes and making care coordination more efficient.

Today, HHS also announced a new process that provides faster state access to Medicare data to support care coordination. Access to Medicare data is an essential tool for states seeking to coordinate care, improve quality, and control costs for their highest cost beneficiaries. For example, a state that wants to expand its long term care and behavioral health care management program to serve low income seniors and people with disabilities needs data on their Medicare-covered hospital, physician, and prescription drug use. With Medicare data, states can identify high risk and high cost individuals, determine their primary health risks, and provide comprehensive individual client profiles to its care management contractor to tailor interventions.

“Navigating the two programs can be both complicated and burdensome for beneficiaries and their families and caregivers,” said Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office Director Melanie Bella. “We are facilitating a national conversation on how to make these programs better serve the people that depend on them every day. We are working with states toward new levels of seamlessness so as to smooth the care journeys for these individuals.”

The first step in the Alignment Initiative is a notice for public comment that will be displayed in the Federal Register. The notice requests public input on priorities and key goals. Individuals wishing to submit comments have until July 11, 2011 to do so. For more information on the Alignment Initiative notice for comment, visit: www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx. The Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office will continue to engage with local stakeholders around the country on the Alignment Initiative through regional listening sessions.

The announcement of the new policy on state Medicare data for enrollees in Medicare and Medicaid will be published in a Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey & Certification (CMCS) Informational Bulletin today. The Bulletin is available at: www.cms.gov/CMCSBulletins/CMCSB/list.asp#TopOfPage.

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

New Study: Medicaid Pays Nursing Homes Less Than Minimum Wage

/PRNewswire/ -- A new study released today finds that Medicaid programs in states across the country underfunded nursing facility care by $5.6 billion in 2010, paying on average $7.17 per hour per patient, less than the nation's current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. A lifeline for many elderly and disabled, Medicaid funds 64 percent of the care provided in America's skilled nursing facilities nationally.

"This report reveals a truth many would not believe – today's nursing facilities are paid less than the minimum wage," stated Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA). "That must change if we ever hope to serve the needs of a Baby Boom generation that will only stress our care delivery system further."

Compiled by the research group Eljay -- a nationally-recognized expert in long term care -- the report identifies which states are most affected by the rising pressure on state Medicaid budgets, both in terms of highest aggregate Medicaid underfunding and highest per patient per day underfunding. States topping those lists are New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

Nursing home providers are often forced to rely on funding from other sources – primarily Medicare – to fill in the funding gaps resulting from inadequate Medicaid payments. With so many of the nation's governors facing difficult choices surrounding budget cuts, Parkinson cautioned at the danger of allowing an already squeezed Medicare system to prop up Medicaid payment rates.

"There is a vast gap between the actual cost of providing quality eldercare and what the Medicaid program truly finances," Parkinson stated. "As Baby Boomers begin to ponder their long term care needs in the future, it is simply unsustainable for Medicare to continue filling that financial gap. As current trends indicate, this problem will only grow worse in the coming years."

The following charts highlight the states with the largest aggregate Medicaid underfunding and largest per patient per day underfunding:

Largest aggregate Medicaid underfunding

1. New York - $1,396,494,595
2. Illinois - $378,779,709
3. Massachusetts - $310,871,237
4. New Jersey - $304,430,314
5. California - $288,599,289
6. Pennsylvania - $277,609,403
7. Ohio - $248,513,290
8. Wisconsin - $181,237,562
9. Minnesota - $151,611,752
10. Missouri - $137,412,649


Largest Medicaid per patient day underfunding:

1. New York - $47.95
2. New Hampshire - $31.25
3. Massachusetts - $31.22
4. New Jersey - $29.29
5. Washington - $28.18
6. Wisconsin - $26.54
7. Minnesota - $24.70
8. Wyoming - $23.67
9. Delaware - $22.86
10. Illinois - $21.95

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

With Federal Support, States Hold Steady in Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Policies for Low-Income Children and Families Despite Recession

/PRNewswire/ -- Despite tight budgets, nearly all states maintained or made targeted expansions or improvements in their Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) eligibility and enrollment rules in 2010, preserving the programs' ability to provide coverage to millions of low-income Americans who otherwise lack affordable options, according to a new survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU).

The 10th annual KCMU 50-state survey of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility rules, enrollment and renewal procedures and cost sharing practices, this year conducted with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, found that coverage policies held steady or in some cases expanded, particularly for low-income children. However, eligibility for their parents and other low-income adults continued to lag behind. The stability of such programs during a recession that has produced sharp increases in unemployment and declines in state tax revenues arises in large part from the temporary federal fiscal relief for Medicaid provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

That enhanced federal assistance, which will end in July, was tied to requirements for states to maintain Medicaid coverage policies. To help provide a base for the future Medicaid expansion, the health reform law also requires states to maintain public coverage for adults until broader health reform goes into effect in 2014 and until 2019 for children. However, in the coming year states continue to face significant budget pressures as demand for the programs remains high and state revenues continue to be depressed amidst the slow economic recovery.

"Millions of American families have turned to Medicaid and CHIP as incomes have declined after losing jobs and the health insurance that often goes with them," said Diane Rowland, Executive Vice President of the Foundation and Executive Director of the KCMU. "Keeping these programs stable and strong has helped protect children and avoid an even larger increase in the nation's 50 million uninsured, and will be key to ensuring the success of health reform implementation over the next few years."

Coverage Policies Held Steady or Expanded in 2010, Especially For Children

The survey found that 49 states, including D.C., held steady or made targeted improvements in their Medicaid and CHIP eligibility rules and enrollment procedures. A total of 13 states expanded eligibility, largely for children, and 14 states made improvements in enrollment and renewal procedures to reduce burdens on families and streamline administrative processes.

Without the enhanced federal funding and maintenance-of-effort requirements in the ARRA and health reform laws, it is likely that more states would have made cutbacks in coverage to cope with budget pressures. Two states -- Arizona and New Jersey -- did make reductions that were not subject to the requirements in the laws.

Coverage for Low-Income Adults Continues to Lag Behind

The survey finds that as of January 1, 2011, 25 states, including D.C., cover children in families with incomes at least up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level ($45,775 for a family of three in 2010), continuing a decade of progress in covering children. However, coverage for their parents lags behind. The median Medicaid eligibility threshold for parents nationally remains at 64 percent of the federal poverty level, and 16 states limit eligibility for parents to those in families that earn below 50 percent of the federal poverty level ($9,155 for a family of three in 2010).

Until health reform passed, states could not cover adults without dependent children in Medicaid programs without a waiver. The new law ends the historic exclusion of these adults through a Medicaid eligibility expansion to a national floor of 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($24,352 for a family of three and $14,404 for an individual in 2010). Although the law won't take full effect until 2014, last year Connecticut and D.C. took advantage of the new option to begin covering these adults by moving into Medicaid low-income adults whom they had previously covered only with state and local dollars. Also, California received approval for a waiver to continue and expand county initiatives that cover low-income adults. A few other states, including Minnesota, also have pending plans to take advantage of the new option to provide Medicaid coverage to adults. Even with these efforts, as of January 1, only seven states (Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, New York and Vermont) provided Medicaid or Medicaid-equivalent benefits to adults without dependent children.

In the absence of further expansions over the next couple of years, most uninsured, low-income adults will remain unable to qualify for Medicaid until health reform goes into effect in 2014.

States are Incorporating Technology into Their Programs, but Have More Work Ahead

The survey finds that states continue to adopt technology to modernize their programs. Many of these improvements have helped to reduce barriers to enrollment and renewal for families, while also streamlining administrative processes and achieving administrative efficiencies. For example, about half of the states (29) took advantage of a new option to rely on an electronic data match with the Social Security Administration to more efficiently and accurately verify citizenship status of applicants for Medicaid and CHIP. The survey also found states making progress in using electronic data matches to verify other aspects of eligibility.

Yet states still have a significant amount of work to do, the survey finds. The new health reform law calls upon states to implement an integrated, web-based, technology-driven enrollment process for Medicaid, CHIP, and coverage in the new health insurance Exchanges. While all states make their Medicaid application available online, only slightly more than half (29) allow for the application to be electronically submitted with an electronic signature and most of these still require families to submit paper documentation via mail or fax. In light of a rule proposed by the Administration at the end of 2010 to provide states with a 90% federal matching rate to prepare their Medicaid eligibility systems for health reform, new grant funding, and the likelihood of additional guidance and funding opportunities in the months ahead, more activity in this area is expected in the coming year.

Today's report, Holding Steady, Looking Ahead: Annual Findings of a 50-State Survey of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost-Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010-2011, and related materials from today's public briefing on the survey findings, are available online at: http://www.kff.org/medicaid/Medicaid-CHIP-Coverage-Recession-Health-Reform.cfm. In addition, an archived webcast of a public briefing will be available on the website after 4 p.m. ET today.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information and analysis on health issues.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured provides information and analysis on health care coverage and access for the low-income population, with a special focus on Medicaid's role and coverage of the uninsured. Begun in 1991 and based in the Kaiser Family Foundation's Washington, D.C. office, the Commission is the largest operating program of the Foundation. The Commission's work is conducted by Foundation staff under the guidance of a bipartisan group of national leaders and experts in health care and public policy.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Open Enrollment for 2011 Medicare prescription drug and health plans begins Nov. 15th

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is encouraging all Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of the annual Open Enrollment period to make sure they have the best coverage available to meet their health care needs in 2011.

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period this year begins on November 15th and runs through December 31st. During the Open Enrollment period, current or newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries, including people with Original Medicare, can review current health and prescription drug coverage, compare health and drug plan options available in their area, and choose coverage that best meet their needs.

"The Affordable Care Act will make Medicare stronger and more sustainable. There will be new benefits available to nearly every person with Medicare starting in January 2011, including free annual wellness visits and free recommended preventive services like mammograms and colonoscopies. Seniors who fall into the donut hole in 2011 will be eligible for a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs. These new benefits make this year's Medicare Open Enrollment Period especially important," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "Every year, the Medicare Open Enrollment Period gives Medicare beneficiaries a chance to evaluate their current plans and see what other options might be out there that serve their needs, especially if their health status has changed. Those enrolled in Medicare can think of the Open Enrollment Period as a yearly coverage "check-up." It is important for people with Medicare to look closely at their plan, look at the options available to them, consider their health status, and find what works for them."

"There's never been a better time for Medicare beneficiaries to check out their Medicare coverage," said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, M.D. "With better plan choices available for 2011, Medicare beneficiaries can think of Open Enrollment as their yearly coverage 'check-up'."

"During Open Enrollment, AoA's national network of community-based organizations will work with seniors, individuals with disabilities and their caregivers across the country to help them understand the new benefits available under the Affordable Care

Act," said Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging. "In addition, we urge seniors to protect themselves from potential fraud and identity theft. We know there are people who use this time to scam seniors and rip off Medicare. Seniors should protect their Medicare number the same way they do their Social Security number or credit cards."


Resources for Medicare Beneficiaries
People with Medicare, their families and other trusted representatives can review and compare current plan coverage with new plan offerings, using many proven resources, including:

. Visiting www.medicare.gov, where they can get a personalized comparison of costs and coverage of the plans available in their area. The popular Medicare Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare tools have been enhanced for an efficient review of plan choices. Multilingual Open Enrollment information and counseling is available.

. Calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for around-the-clock assistance to find out more about coverage options. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

. Reviewing the 2011 Medicare &You handbook. It is also accessible at www.medicare gov and has been mailed to the homes of people with Medicare benefits.

. Getting one-on-one counseling assistance from the local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Local SHIP contact information can be found:
o At http://www.medicare.gov/contacts/organization-search-criteria.aspx or
o On the back of the 2011 Medicare &You handbook or;
o By calling Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY, 1-877-486-2048)
o Through a listing of national stand-alone prescription drug plans and state specific fact sheets can be found at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/openenrollment.asp

Medicare beneficiaries who cannot meet the costs of prescription drugs may be eligible for additional resources. Based on eligibility for "extra help," some people Medicare will pay no more than $2.50 for each generic drug and no more than $6.30 for each name brand drug. The program, called Medicare's Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition (NET) Program, can also help pay for premiums and other out-of-pocket costs.

There is no cost to apply for this extra help. Medicare beneficiaries, family members, trusted counselors or caregivers can apply online at www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY users should call 1-800-325-0778) to find out more.

Protecting Against Fraud and Identity Theft

The new health care law also provides better tools to help fight waste, fraud and abuse to help protect Medicare. CMS offers tips to help beneficiaries protect themselves against fraud and identity theft during the Open Enrollment period. Medicare recommends thatpeople treat their Medicare number as they do their social security number and credit card information.

Beneficiaries should not give personal information to anyone arriving to their home uninvited or making unsolicited phone calls selling Medicare-related products or services. Beneficiaries who believe they are a victim of fraud or identity theft should contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY, 1-877-486-2048). More information is available at www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

More information is available at www.healthcare.gov, a new web portal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Guidance on New Hospice Benefits for Terminally Ill Children Hailed by Hospice and Palliative Care Community

/PRNewswire/ -- The families of dying children who are covered under Medicaid or the Medicaid expansion Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will no longer face the choice of stopping curative treatments in order for their terminally ill child to receive quality end-of-life care from hospice.

The provision in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring state Medicaid programs to allow children with a life-limiting illness to receive both hospice care and curative treatments has been widely applauded by the hospice and palliative care community. In an important step to implement the law, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a letter of guidance on Thursday, September 9, 2010.

"This provision is a very important step forward for children with life-threatening illness. No longer will families need to make an agonizing choice to give up cure-directed treatment in order to receive the multiple benefits offered through a comprehensive hospice program," said Sarah Friebert, MD, Director of the Haslinger Division of Pediatric Palliative Care at Akron Children's Hospital.

J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, remarked, "NHPCO has been a longtime advocate for the provision, previously working with Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)and Susan Collins (R-ME) to include the language in their Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act."

Throughout the various stages of health care reform deliberations, NHPCO went on record as supporting the inclusion of the pediatric concurrent care provision and actively lobbied for its continued inclusion in the final version of the legislation.

The law does not change the criteria for receiving hospice services. In order to qualify for the hospice service in either Medicaid or CHIP, a physician must certify that the eligible person is within the last six months of life.

In the letter issued by CMS, Cindy Mann, federal Medicaid Director, wrote, "We believe implementation of this new provision is vitally important for children and their families seeking a blended package of curative and palliative services. This provision will increase utilization of hospice services since parents and children will no longer be required to forego curative treatment."

"Care for children and families facing serious illness and death are an important population that should not be overlooked," noted Schumacher. "This law is the right thing to do for families facing the tragedy of a dying child."

Friebert further added, "We have further work to do to secure reimbursement for services for children with chronic, complex and/or life-threatening illness who do not qualify for hospice, and need the same protection to receive concurrent palliative care and cure-directed therapy."

To further support the care of young people with serious and life-limiting illness, NHPCO and the Children's Project for Palliative/Hospice Services (ChiPPS) developed and published The Standards of Practice for Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice and released a report "Facts and Figures on Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice." Additionally, the first module of a series of ten online courses on pediatric palliative care was launched on NHPCO's web-based E-Online education portal.

Learn more about the Pediatric Standards, ChiPPS, or download the facts and figures report at www.nhpco.org/pediatrics.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Many Americans Still Confused About New Healthcare Reform Law and its Provisions

/PRNewswire/ -- Not sure what's in--and not in--the new healthcare legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in March? You're not alone. More than 2,100 adults were given a list of 18 reform items and asked to identify what's included and what's not included in the law. Only four items were correctly identified by the majority of those polled.

Most (58 percent) know that the reform package will prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people because they are already sick; 55 percent know the law permits children to stay on their parents' insurance plan until age 26; and 52 percent realize that people who don't have insurance will be subject to financial penalties. Additionally, half are aware that employers with more than 50 employees will have to offer their workers affordable insurance.

These are some of the major findings of today's HealthDay/Harris Poll, conducted between July 15 to 19, 2010 among 2,104 adults (aged 18 and over).

Among other findings: 82 percent think the bill will result in rationing of health care or that it might (it won't); 79 percent don't know or aren't sure if drug companies will pay an annual fee, (they will); 73 percent don't know the law establishes a new tax on the sale of medical devices; 66 percent don't know or aren't sure if the legislation will result in insurance exchanges where people can shop for insurance, (it will); and 63 percent either aren't sure or don't know if the new law will increase the number of people eligible for Medicaid, (it will).

"The problem for the (Obama) administration is healthcare reform is fiendishly complicated because the healthcare system is fiendishly complicated, and it is not politically feasible to tear up the system and build it again," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, Harris Interactive's long-running public opinion poll. "Instead you have to build on the system that you have. When you try to build on a fiendishly complicated system, you have fiendishly complicated reforms."

Another cause of the confusion is due to the long and heated political debate that surrounded the bill before it was passed, Taylor said.

"The level of ignorance and misinformation is sort of astounding," he said. "It seems people are still reacting to the rhetoric, not the substance of what is in the bill, because they don't actually know what is or is not in the actual legislation."

For more information, click here to read the full report and methodology. HealthDay's news report is available here. Full data on the poll and its methodology are available at Harris Interactive.

TABLE 1
            KNOWLEDGE OF ITEMS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN REFORM BILL (PPACA)
  "Please indicate if you believe each of the following is included (or
  will result from) or is not included (or will not result from) the
  health care reform bill that was signed by President Obama in March
  of this year.  If you don't know, please do not guess but
  check "Not sure."
  Base: All adults

                                                        Is Not
                                        Is Included/   Included/
                                        Will Result    Will Not
                                            From     Result From  Not
                                                                  Sure
  Not allowing insurers to deny
   coverage to people                 %           58            9      34
  because they are sick
  Allowing children to stay on their
   parents' insurance until           %           55            9      35
  they are 26 years old
  Financial penalties for all
   individuals who do not have or     %           52            9      39
  do not buy insurance
  All employers with more than 50
   employees must offer               %           50            9      41
  their employees affordable
   insurance
  Tax credits for small business to
   provide insurance to               %           43           14      43
  their employees
  Increasing the number of people who
   are eligible for                   %           37           13      50
  Medicaid
  Insurance exchanges where people
   can shop for                       %           35           14      52
  insurance
  A new tax on the sale of medical
   devices                            %           27           13      60
  An annual fee to be paid by drug
   companies                          %           21           14      65


  Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.





                                     TABLE 2
            BELIEF THAT ITEMS NOT IN REFORM BILL (PPACA) ARE INCLUDED
  "Please indicate if you believe each of the following is included (or
  will result from) or is not included (or will not result from) the
  health care reform bill that was signed by President Obama in March
  of this year.  If you don't know, please do not guess but
  check "Not sure."
  Base: All adults

                                                       Is Not
                                       Is Included/   Included/
                                       Will Result    Will Not
                                           From     Result From  Not
                                                                 Sure
  An increase in the federal
   government's budget deficit       %           45           13      42
  Higher income taxes for the middle
   class                             %           37           22      41
  All Americans will have health
   insurance                         %           36           29      35
  New ways to ration health care     %           36           18      46
  A new government run health plan
   to compete with                   %           36           22      43
  private insurance plans
  A cut in Medicare benefits         %           33           21      45
  Higher tax deductions from
   workers' pay                      %           33           16      50
  Panels to decide what care very
   sick, older people                %           30           26      44
  should receive
  Illegal aliens will have health
   insurance                         %           28           27      45

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States July 15 to 19, 2010 among 2,104 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Georgia's New Healthcare Budgets Precariously Balanced

In order to tackle the large deficit and significant revenue declines while still protecting Medicaid, lawmakers enacted a temporary hospital provider fee to prevent significant rate cuts to hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, and other health care providers and balance the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This and other aspects of the healthcare budgets are discussed in the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute's latest analysis: Lawmakers Protect Medicaid, Serious Funding Gaps Loom for 2012.

Thanks in large part to the enhanced federal Medicaid funding made available to all states through the Recovery Act in 2009, Georgia is not implementing major cuts to Medicaid eligibility or services in FY 2011.

But now Georgia is in a tough position.

Georgia is among 30 states that have built its state budget assuming that enhanced Medicaid funding will be available through next June, when our budget year ends. The U.S. Congress is currently considering legislation to extend this funding until then, but unless they act soon to extend the enhanced Medicaid funding, Georgia's budget will be short $375 million.

If, instead of finding additional state revenue, lawmakers cut the Medicaid program to save $375 million, the state would also forgo more than $650 million in federal funds that are in the state's Medicaid base budget.

"The Great Recession has caused more Georgians to seek help for their families through Medicaid and losing a billion dollars would devastate a Medicaid budget that already relies significantly on temporary funding in FY 2011," said Timothy Sweeney, the Institute's senior healthcare analyst and author of the healthcare budget analysis.

"The cuts necessary to balance the budget without these funds would be devastating for individual Georgians and for the healthcare sector that depend on an adequately funded Medicaid program. In addition, many local economies rely significantly on their healthcare industry."

Other notable changes lawmakers made for this upcoming fiscal year are:

*10% cut to state grants to county health departments
* Increasing premiums families pay for children in PeachCare
*Increased funding for mental health services

------
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

HHS Announces Availability of $60 Million in Affordable Care Act Grants to Help People Navigate their Health and Long-term Care Options

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of $60 million in Affordable Care Act grants to states and communities to help individuals and their caregivers better understand and navigate their health and long-term care options.

Through this opportunity made possible by the Affordable Care Act HHS' Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will work collaboratively to award funds for an integrated approach that focuses on the unique needs of seniors, disabled Americans and their caregivers as they seek health care and long-term care.

"The Affordable Care Act seeks to lower health care costs, improve the quality of health care and perhaps most importantly give people more control over their own care. These new grants, authorized under the new law, will help seniors, individuals with disabilities and their families get better quality care and more control. We've also streamlined the process for states and people who rely on these funds," said Secretary Sebelius.

"We know how difficult it can be for caregivers and patients to try and deal with a sudden illness or chronic disease while at the same time trying to navigate through a complex health care system to figure out where you can get help. These new funds that we have bundled together will help promote better opportunities for coordination of health and long-term supports," said Sebelius.

The purpose of this new grant program authorized by the Affordable Care Act is to create streamlined, coordinated statewide systems of information, counseling, and access that will help people find consumer-friendly answers they seek to meet their health and long-term care needs. AoA and CMS will administer the funding through separate announcements, but will coordinate implementation and monitoring through a single process.

Some specific areas of focus will include assisting individuals who are under-served and hard to reach with information about their Medicare and Medicaid benefits, helping older adults and individuals with disabilities live at home or in settings of their choosing with the right supports, assisting people transition from hospital or nursing home stays back into the community, and strengthening linkages between the medical and social service systems.

"When it comes to long-term health care, each patient has a unique mix of complex medical and social needs that must be considered when seeking care," said Marilyn Tavenner, acting CMS administrator. "Our health care system can offer many options to meeting those needs from traditional nursing home care to home and community-based services. Making patients and their families aware of these options will help them make inherently difficult decisions about long-term care. This integrated program will help families make informed choices and make sure patients have more control over their own care."

AoA and CMS have provided grants to states for several years to develop person-centered systems of information, counseling and access to make it easier for individuals to learn about and access their health and long-term services and support options. This grant program through the Affordable Care Act strengthens and enhances the ability of states to truly integrate the medical and social services care models.

"AoA's national network of community-based organizations has long served as the central place for individuals and families seeking information and help to address health and long term care challenges. This collaborative opportunity between AoA and CMS will further strengthen the network's capacity to help people in a more coordinated and comprehensive way in the communities where they live," said Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary for aging.

Funds will be available to states, area agencies on aging (aaa's), State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs). Through the grant program, states and local aging and disability programs will receive funds to:

* provide outreach and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries on their Medicare benefits including prevention;
* use additional funds through a competitive process to provide Options Counseling on health and long-term care through ADRCs;
* use additional funds through a competitive process to strengthen the ADRCs role in Money follows the Person program and support state Medicaid agencies as they transition individuals from nursing homes to community-based care; and
* coordinate and continue to embed tested Care Transition models that integrate the medical and social service systems to help older individuals and those with disabilities remain in their own homes and communities after a hospital, rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility visit.

"CMS and AoA share a long-standing goal of expanding access to community-based care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. The Affordable Care Act provides significant resources for state Medicaid agencies and providers to balance the nation's long-term care systems and assure that individuals have a choice of where and how they receive their services," said Cindy Mann, director of CMS's Center for Medicaid, CHIP, and Survey and Certification.

The announcement combines funding opportunities from several provisions in the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, including the Role of Public Programs (Title II, Sections 2403 - Money Follows the Person and 2405 - Funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers) and Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Health Care (Title III. Section 3306 - Funding for Outreach and Assistance for Low-Income Programs).

These grants also complement President Obama's "Year of Community Living Initiative," which focuses on better serving those individuals with disabilities who need ongoing services and support programs in the community such as those provided by AoA, CMS and other HHS agencies.

The deadline for applications is: Monday, July 30, 2010. Grants will be awarded in September 2010. For more information about this grant opportunity, please visit http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Grants/Funding/index.aspx or www.grants.gov.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Rite Of Passage: The Plight Of Uninsured Young Adults

(NAPSI)-The health insurance coverage issue may uncover some surprises for certain Americans.

One segment of the population that's particularly affected by the uninsured problem is young adults between the ages of 19 and 29. They represent 31 percent of the nation's uninsured.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Young adults usually begin with health insurance coverage under their parents' plan or a public insurance program. But the 19th birthday is a crucial milestone for the health coverage of many young adults in the U.S.

Public programs such as Medicaid usually end eligibility at the 19th birthday. Employer-sponsored health insurance plans often won't cover young adults as dependents under their parents' policy after 19 years of age unless they are enrolled in college.

Young people, even working full-time, may not be offered or able to afford health insurance. Others believe in their own "invincibility" when it comes to future health concerns.

The Myth of the Not-So "Invincibles"

Actually, young adults are more susceptible to some illnesses than any other population. Over 40 percent of uninsured young adults have characterized their health as only fair or poor.

To address the problem, health care reform legislation includes a variety of provisions to help young Americans gain quality, affordable coverage, including proposals to allow young adults to remain on their parents' insurance through the age of 27. Young adults could also benefit from proposed sizable tax credits. According to a report by Jonathan Gruber of MIT, the tax credits could save young adults as much as $685 off their health insurance premiums.

It is time that all Americans, regardless of age, receive timely, affordable, quality health care. It is time for the enactment of systemwide health care reform that provides coverage to all citizens, slows down health care costs and improves the quality of medical care.

To learn more, go to www.nchc.org or call (202) 638-7151.

By Ralph G Neas and Henry E Simmons, MD

• Mr. Neas is chief executive officer of the National Coalition on Health Care; Dr. Simmons is its president. The Coalition is the Nation's oldest and most diverse alliance working for the achievement of comprehensive health care reform.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

HHS Secretary Calls on States and Communities to Get Health Coverage to Uninsured Children

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today called on states and communities to join with HHS to redouble efforts to find and enroll the 5 million children who are currently eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but are not yet covered. The Secretary
issued this call to action as she opened the National Children's Health Insurance Summit in Chicago, kicking off the nation's largest campaign to find and enroll uninsured children in over a decade.

Much progress has been made in recent years, but the enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) creates new opportunities to move forward. At the same time, given the economic downturn, the need among families for affordable coverage for their children could not be greater. Not since the creation of CHIP in 1997 has the federal government, in conjunction with states, concentrated so many resources on the effort to find and enroll children who are needlessly going without health insurance coverage.

"As a society and as parents, we have no greater responsibility than to provide quality health care for our children," Secretary Sebelius said. "Our charge here today is to get all eligible children covered to ensure they are healthy throughout their childhood. A healthy child is the
block upon which all other successes are built, not just for the child, but for the nation they will lead in the future."

In February, President Obama signed CHIPRA into law. The legislation fully funds CHIP over the next four years and devotes an unprecedented amount of federal funding to support outreach and enrollment efforts for both CHIP and Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid serves more than 32 million low-income American children while CHIP has over 7 million beneficiaries.

Today's speech launched the three-day conference in Chicago sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that has brought together state Medicaid and CHIP officials, local government, community-based organizations, safety net providers and others who are working to promote enrollment in children's health programs. These experts will exchange proven strategies for finding and enrolling children in health programs as well as removing program barriers that sometimes prevent children from staying in these programs despite
continued eligibility.

Participants in the conference will also hear from experts on a wide range of specialized topics, such as reaching diverse or isolated populations, the usefulness of online applications and how to best work with managed care plans and other health care providers.

Also attending today's conference are grantees from 69 organizations across the country that were awarded $40 million by HHS to fund outreach projects in their local communities. Over the next four years, HHS will award a total of $90 million in outreach grants.

"With the nation's unemployment rate at a staggering 9.8 percent and families losing their job-related health care, finding and enrolling eligible children could never be more important," said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations within CMS.
"Bringing together government officials, tribal leaders, community organizations and policy experts, we hope, will build on the successes achieved in recent years and lead to fresh, innovative and successful strategies to deliver quality health care to every eligible child in
America."

For more information about free or low-cost children's health insurance, visit the newly updated and redesigned Web site www.insurekidsnow.gov or call toll-free 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669). The site gives parents and caregivers information on connecting their children to health coverage through Medicaid or CHIP and also provides program
information and federal guidance for states and health policy professionals. It will be available in both English and Spanish. National Children's Health Insurance Summit presentations and other conference materials can be downloaded at www.childrenshealthinsurancesummit.com.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia