Briefs & Reports

This report fulfills a legislative mandate for the state to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of developing and implementing a Medicaid Health Savings Account pilot program.

States in Action is a bi-monthly newsletter that examines state-level innovations in health policy. Each issue profiles several states in short “snapshot” articles, examines a state or policy trend in detail, and provides an update on relevant federal policy developments.

This paper examines how reductions in reimbursement for Medicaid pharmacists could potentially affect pharmacy services utilization and costs.

Motivated by a desire to improve performance, assure quality, and maximize value from health care, states are promoting a wide variety of “e-health” initiatives that exploit the capabilities of health information technology and electronic health information exchanges. This report describes the range of state e-health activities, the challenges states are facing, and emerging best practices.

This 50-state survey explores six major areas of Medicaid pharmacy policy: the impacts of Medicare Part D prescription drug program on state Medicaid pharmacy programs; the impacts of Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) on Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement and Medicaid collection of manufacturer rebates on physician-administered drugs; Medicaid managed care and pharmacy issues; state prescription … Read More

This analysis examines the role of the county health plans that provide community-based care for the uninsured in Michigan, which cover low-income uninsured persons who are not eligible for mainstream medical assistance programs. Non-profit corporations set up to serve as the vehicle to provide access to organized systems of health care operate these programs.

Trends and changes in hospital use and capacity by ownership status and community poverty levels for large urban and suburban areas that may have important implications for the future of the hospital safety net in large metropolitan areas. The analysis raises questions about the effects of the expanding role of private hospitals as safety net … Read More

Most of the nation’s largest health care organizations announced January 18, 2007 that they have agreed on a proposal that would significantly expand health coverage for America’s almost 47 million uninsured, starting immediately with expanded coverage for children in 2007. Calling itself the Health Coverage Coalition for the Uninsured (HCCU), the group is made up … Read More

An analysis of the initial impact of COBRA subsidies created by Congress in February 2009 as a temporary but important new subsidy for unemployed workers’ health insurance.

This report includes nine categories of recommendations that call for policy action at the state and federal levels to influence the cost and availability of employer-provided health care benefits.