State Health Watch Archives – July 1, 2008
July 1, 2008
View Issues
-
States building high-performance health systems, but much more can be done
States are pursuing health system improvements across the full spectrum of their authority, including health care purchasing, provider regulation, performance data reporting, integration of public health with health care approaches, and improving the availability and affordability of health insurance. -
Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Eligible but not enrolled: 12 million people–half of them children–could have coverage
Some 25% of people in the United States who lack health coverage are eligible for public insurance programs but are not enrolled due to barriers that make it difficult for them to do so. -
Federal SCHIP changes 'have no basis in law'
A "friend-of-the-court" brief filed with a federal district court on behalf of more than 25 prominent health policy and child health experts says Department of Health and Human Services changes to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) "have no basis in evidence or the law." -
Medicaid cuts spike ED use, uninsured hospitalizations
Medicaid cuts in Oregon were followed by increases in both hospital emergency department (ED) use and hospitalization of the uninsured. A study published online April 17, 2008, in the Annals of Emergency Medicine says federal legislation facilitating similar Medicaid changes in other states may lead to higher ED use and hospitalizations elsewhere. -
Survey of states finds boom in e-health strategies
Almost all states are actively engaged in e-health strategies to facilitate use of information technology to make the health care system more efficient and provide greater value and higher quality. -
Clip files / Local news from the states
Pennsylvania has become the first state in the nation to receive the federal government's permission to spend federal Medicaid dollars on services that enable autistic adults to live more independently.