Children who lack health insurance do not have access to preventive care, placing them at greater risk of serious illness. This special report of the Voices for Illinois Children describes federal and state efforts to address the problem of uninsured children and issues that will need to be monitored as Illinois begins to help children access…

Discusses the lopsided distribution of wealth in the United States, which is perpetuated by the regressive taxation system and the payment of public subsidies to large corporations. These factors operate in important ways in the health system. (Author/SB)

The effects of health insurance coverage on resource allocation to hospitals is analyzed. (BH)

This national survey on the extent and nature of mental health coverage within health maintenance organizations covers staffing and referral patterns, service locations, and other administrative functions of mental health coverage in prepaid health insurance programs. (Author/LAB)

TennCare is an approach to providing health care for former Medicaid recipients and the uninsured in Tennessee. The state designates a specific dollar amount per patient and contracts with managed care organizations to allocate funds and provide services. (JOW)

Notes that rapid escalation of health care costs is growing concern for college health administrators charged with negotiating contracts for student health and accident insurance policies. Argues that student health service can serve same function as health maintenance organization, offering students range of services available and referring to…

Notes that professionals in mental health field are increasingly challenged to provide appropriate services within parameters of what will be reimbursed by third party. Contends that these sometimes oppositional forces create philosophical, clinical, and ethical dilemmas. Explores issues, examines circumstances that have led to their creation, and…

Examines inequalities in availability of employer-based health insurance due to differences in formal educational attainment, using a sample of 7762 fully employed adult respondents in the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. Fully employed individuals with higher formal education levels are more likely to have insurance. Ameliorative…

A study identified and compared spending patterns of 3 groups: (1) Medicaid recipients (n=2,262); (2) insured families (n=621); and (3) uninsured families (n=654). A higher proportion of Medicaid families' members are covered; insured families spend a larger proportion of total expenditures for health care and less for food, apparel, and services.…

Student health insurance experiences the same inflationary trends as employee benefits, but is rarely viewed as a significant direct cost to an institution, nor is the bill as high as the costs associated with employee health plans. Several long-term solutions and strategies that could help colleges to contain the ever-escalating cost of providing…

In order to be competitive in today's world, it is necessary for North Carolina to have a well-educated workforce. Quality schools, including effective leadership, excellent teachers, and improved academic standards and rigor, are a significant factor in these endeavors. However, good schooling starts well before a student ever steps foot into a…

Purpose: We examined the relationship between the quality indicator for decline in activities of daily living (ADL) and the use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) for determining Medicaid skilled nursing facility reimbursement. Design and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the 2004 National MDS Facility Quality Indicator reports as…

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…