The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) provides a unique resource with which to analyze the health status, health care use, activities, and family and community environments experienced by children in rural and urban areas. The NSCH was designed to measure the health and well-being of children from birth through age 17 in the United…

Context: While the Medicare Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program has improved the financial viability of small rural hospitals and enhanced access to care in rural communities, the program puts beneficiaries at risk for paying a larger share of the cost of services covered under the Medicare part B benefit. Purpose: This paper examines the…

In this statement, Katherine M. Iritani, Acting Director, Health Care reports that dental disease remains a significant problem for children in Medicaid. Although dental services are a mandatory benefit for the 30 million children served by Medicaid, these children often experience elevated levels of dental problems and have difficulty finding…

The primary objective of national health insurance is to make sure that good medical care is available to everyone at an affordable price. Any plan when first adopted will have a role for both private and government sectors but regardless of the mix, the system should meet certain goals. (Author/BB)

This comprehensive review of policies and programs designed to support youth transitioning out of foster care spans all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As part of the review, Chapin Hall administered a web-based survey of state independent living services coordinators to collect up-to-date information about their state's policies and…

Describes the 1970 amendments to the federal unemployment insurance program. (BH)

Published annually since 1997, Newark Kids Count tracks key trends in child health and well-being in New Jersey's largest city with the latest statistics available. Newark Kids Count includes the latest statistics, along with five-year trend data, in the following areas: the state of children and families, family economic security, affordable…

There is disagreement about who is to be the primary payer when dual coverage exists under Medicare and a employer-sponsored group health plan for federal, state, and local government employees after the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. Medicare administrators of the Health Care Financing Administration interpret the Act as applying to…

A study was done of how the College Construction Loan Insurance Association (Connie Lee) carried out its mission, particularly in its service to the 102 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The study interviewed officials at Connie Lee, HBCUs and other schools, the Department of Education, and representatives of the bond insurance…

This document is the first volume of a two-volume Senate report describing actions taken during 1986 by the Congress, the administration, and the Senate Special Committee on Aging which are significant to older Americans. It summarizes and analyzes federal policies and programs that are of continuing importance for older persons and their…

In a 1968 survey of the income of the aged, 8,248 persons were interviewed out of a population of 19.3 million persons aged 65 or over, excluding approximately 95,000 federal annuitants, 30,000 aliens, and a small number of persons not enrolled. The Current Medicare Survey was utilized to obtain certain selected characteristics of aged persons.…

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 gave states additional resources and tools aimed at improving participation in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In 2007, five million uninsured children were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, constituting 64 percent of all uninsured children.…

Purpose: The Veterans Affairs or VA health care system is in the process of significantly expanding home health care (HOC) nationwide. We describe VA HHC use in 2003 for all VA HHC users from 2002; we examine whether VA utilization across a broad spectrum of services differed for a sample of VA HHC users and their propensity-score-matched…

Context: The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) created prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries through a new Part D program, the single largest addition to Medicare since its creation in 1965. Prior to program implementation in January 2006, concerns had been voiced as to how independent…

A fundamental concern with competitive health insurance markets is that they will not supply efficient levels of coverage for treatment of costly, chronic, and predictable illnesses, such as mental illness. Since the inception of employer-based health insurance, coverage for mental health services has been offered on a more limited basis than…