A survey of student affairs deans at 108 medical schools found most schools required hepatitis vaccination, evidence of immunity, or waiver refusing vaccination. Nearly all required health insurance, and usually offered a plan, but fewer offered disability insurance. Schools often held students responsible for costs of vaccination, serologic…

Assessed the cost and effectiveness of contacting parents through schools, educating them about health insurance programs and preventive care, and helping them with insurance applications. Data analysis indicated that accumulative cost per enrolled child was $75. Schools located and assisted large numbers of uninsured children who had failed other…

An Educational Risk Management Plan (ERMP) should be incorporated throughout every school district. Discusses property and liability insurance classifications and features of a good ERMP. (12 references) (MLF)

The report by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, "Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children," presents a comprehensive strategy for child well-being. Parent education and universal health coverage are but two aspects of an approach that considers the needs of all families. (SLD)

This editorial reviews areas of health care reform including managed health care, diagnosis-related groups, and the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale for physician services. Relevance of such reforms to people with developmental disabilities is considered. Much needed insurance reform is not thought to be likely, however. (DB)

A series of benefit programs for school personnel in a Maryland county includes a smoke-free workplace, an employee wellness program, and an employee assistance program. The county has been able to correlate a dramatic decrease in the cost of health insurance for employees with the activities of these programs. (MLF)

Analyzes a number of financing options commonly proposed to pay for health care reform, considering the costs and benefits to society as a whole. Outlines criteria that can be used to evaluate various revenue options, and discusses the effect that these plans would have on children, especially those not presently covered by health insurance. (MDM)

Explores some of the major features of proposed health care plans, which, if enacted, are likely to have a significant impact on school districts' operations, budgeting, and benefits planning. Contains a checklist of key steps districts can take in estimating and planning for the impact of health care reform. (MLF)

Health care costs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) were projected to double between 1986 and 1990. The university has met cost-reduction goals through varied approaches, planned future cuts in overall costs by studying its employee population and is working toward a flexible plan for diverse health care needs. (MSE)

Describes issues currently faced by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. These include: (1) managed care; (2) implementation of nondiscrimination requirements in adoption and foster care; (3) acquired immune deficiency syndrome issues; (4) national origin nondiscrimination; (5) welfare-reform concerns; (6) children's health insurance; and (7)…

Changing U.S. demographics and family composition are challenging social work education programs to reposition and reconsider how to prepare students for practice in the field of geriatrics. Implications for future social service and health care needs include ongoing training and education of students with competencies in serving geriatric…

Childhood injuries lead to increased morbidity and result in significant costs to public insurance programs. People with mental retardation, most of whom are covered by Medicaid, are at high risk for injury, which has implications for community inclusion, a central policy goal. Medicaid data from inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings…

This paper explores historical and recent trends in the delivery of residential adolescent substance abuse treatment, looking specifically at the impact of managed care on the service delivery system. Three historical eras are conceptualized by the authors: (1) an era prior to managed care in which services were provided on a fee for service basis…

During the 1990s, the federal government promised low-income families that work would pay. Parents moved into jobs in response to new welfare rules requiring work, tax credits and other work supports that boosted take-home pay. Unfortunately, the record shows that low-income families have not progressed much. Many do not bring home enough to cover…

Purpose: To examine the barriers and difficulties experienced by rural families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in caring for their children. Methods: The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs was used to examine rural-urban differences in types of providers used, reasons CSHCN had unmet health care needs,…