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In this Issue:
1.
New Year, New Health Reform Proposals
2. New SCI Profile in Coverage: Healthy New York
3. CMS Approves Idaho’s HIFA Waiver
4. Insight for Medicaid Reform from Utah's PCN?
5. Federal Appropriations Update: HRSA State Planning
Grants
and
High-Risk Pools
6. Report Assesses Federal Health Data for Coverage,
Access,
and
State-Specific Needs
7. Last Call for SCI National Meeting for State Officials!
8. SCI Holds Meeting on Modeling Coverage Expansions
9. SCI Welcomes Donald Cohn
10. Reports of Interest
11. Coming Soon from SCI
1. NEW
YEAR, NEW HEALTH REFORM PROPOSALS
Many
states begin new legislative years in January 2005, and
despite tough fiscal forecasts, health insurance coverage
remains on the agenda. SCI grantees Maine and West Virginia
begin new coverage programs in January 2005, while several
others will implement ballot initiatives. In addition,
officials from Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Kansas will
debate systematic health reforms during the upcoming
legislative session.
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2. NEW
SCI PROFILE IN COVERAGE: HEALTHY NEW YORK
Healthy
New York has emerged as a leading state program
designed to encourage small businesses to purchase coverage
for their employees and dependents. As of December 2004,
the program covered 76,704 individuals.
[view
full article]
3. CMS
APPROVES IDAHO’S HIFA WAIVER
In
November 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) approved Idaho’s Health Insurance
Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) waiver application to
create the Idaho Access Card-a program intended to increase
access to affordable private health insurance among
low-income individuals.
[view
full article]
4. INSIGHT
FOR MEDICAID REFORM FROM UTAH'S PCN?
With
national Medicaid reform back on the table, there is
much speculation regarding where the Bush Administration
stands on this issue. Over the past decade, proposals to
transform Medicaid by turning it into a block grant program
or implementing other sweeping changes, have arisen
periodically-most recently in 2003, when discussions about
block-granting the program broke down.
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5. FEDERAL
APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE: HRSA STATE PLANNING GRANTS
AND HIGH-RISK POOLS
On
December 8, 2004, President Bush signed the fiscal year
2005 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which included funds for
the Department of Health and Human Services and other
federal departments and agencies.
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6. REPORT
ASSESSES FEDERAL HEALTH DATA FOR COVERAGE, ACCESS,
AND STATE-SPECIFIC NEEDS
AcademyHealth
has released a report on the Federal Health
Data Project, titled, Improving Federal Health Data for
Coverage and Access Policy Development Needs.
[view
full article]
7. LAST
CALL FOR SCI NATIONAL MEETING FOR STATE OFFICIALS!
Registration
is filling quickly for the SCI National Meeting
for State Officials. The meeting will begin on the
afternoon of February 3 and conclude at 3:15 p.m. on
February 4 at the Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel,
immediately following the 2005 National Health Policy
Conference (sponsored by AcademyHealth and Health Affairs).
[view
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8. SCI
HOLDS MEETING ON MODELING COVERAGE EXPANSIONS
On
November 10, the State Coverage Initiatives program held
a meeting with state officials to explore how to use
“modeling” to simulate the effects of proposed coverage
expansions and other policy changes on their populations,
budgets, and health care markets.
[view
full article]
9. SCI
WELCOMES DONALD COHN
On
November 15, SCI welcomed new Associate Donald Cohn.
Donald joined the SCI team after completing a Master’s
degree at New York University.
[view
full article]
10. REPORTS
OF INTEREST
The
following are the most recently released reports on
coverage. State reports can be found in SCI's database of
state reports.
[view
full article]
11. COMING
SOON FROM SCI
Check
in for updates on SCI's latest publications.
[view
full article]
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