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Critical Health Areas Project (CHAP) NewsletterVolume 2, Issue 7November 2, 2007
AnnouncementsWebinar Series Exploring Accountability This series of four webinars is discussing the elements of a quality health care system including value based purchasing, provider incentives, transparency, and performance measurements. The first two events have already taken place. To get more information on this series or to sign up for upcoming events go here http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/webcast2.htm#series3. To view archived copies of the first two webinars of the series go here http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/webcastoct07.htm. Upcoming Webinars in the Series: The Outcomes of Addiction Treatment and Approaches to Measuring Performance This webinar will focus on performance measurement and treatment efficacy in addiction treatment, including performance-based contracting and how states are increasing their return on investments. An overview of new ways to look at these issues will be provided along with an a discussion of Maine’s work on performance-based contracting with substance abuse treatment providers.
Using Data and Performance Measures to Evaluate State Health Reform Activities
Join us in Phoenix for Fall Forum Fall Forum this year will be in Phoenix, Arizona from November 27-30. To see the full Fall Forum agenda please go here http://www.ncsl.org/programs/seminars/fallagenda/index.cfm. A number of health pre-conferences will be occurring at the meeting. Chairs Tea Health Information Technology Champions (HITCh) Project Pre-Conference Mental Health Treatment: Promoting Entry and Retention Women's Health Across the Lifespan: What Legislators Can Do to Improve Women's Health A limited number of stipends for up to $600 are still available for CHAPs to attend Fall Forum. To be eligible for a stipend, you will need to attend the Chairs Tea and one of the other pre-conferences listed here. You received an email reminder this week in regards to the stipend. If you wish to apply for a stipend please email Deborah Sward at deborah.sward@ncsl.org or call her at 202.624.3585.
October CHAP Meeting Resources
Chronic Care and QualityPromoting Consumer Involvement in Health Care In its 2007 session the Texas legislature passed SB 1731 which creates the "Consumer Guide to Health Care." The purpose of this law is to provide consumers with information regarding the costs and pricing of health care services so that they can make informed, cost-effective health care decisions. The law requires that the Texas Department of State Health Services create a website that will provide information to consumers regarding the prices of health care services and health plan coverage and costs. The website must list the average costs of certain procedures at health facilities so that consumers can compare prices. Other states have incorporated similar laws with similar intentions. The Massachusetts health care reform law, enacted in April 2006, requires that the state set up a website that allows patients to compare the costs and quality of services. In New Hampshire consumers can check the costs of procedures, and in Florida people can compare the prices of prescription drugs. For more information on transparency in health care, please visit NCSL's web-assisted audioconference archive: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/webcastoct07.htm#I
Healthcare AccessCalifornia Health Reform Days after introducing his own health reform proposal during a special session of the Legislature on October 9, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed state Assembly Democrats’ health reform bill (AB 8) on October 12, citing the bill’s failure to go far enough in covering California’s uninsured population. The Democrats’ plan would have reached more than two-thirds of the state’s uninsured, while the Governor’s proposal seeks to cover at least three-quarters of the uninsured. The Governor’s plan would put in place an individual mandate on all Californians to obtain health insurance and employers would be assessed up to a 4 percent payroll tax on if they do not offer health insurance to their employees. Subsidies for the purchase of health insurance would be provided to individuals earning up to $25,525 (and for families earning up to $51,625) and a tax credit given to individuals spending more than 5 percent of their total income on health insurance coverage. The total cost of the plan, including increased federal funding, is expected to be $14 billion. In an amendment offered after the plan’s introduction, the Governor said that he would lease California’s lottery to a private firm to raise approximately $2 billion to pay for his health reform proposal. Hospital fees and employer and employee contributions would also be used to finance his reform. A hearing on the on the Governor’s proposal took place on October 31, and Assembly Democrats plan to continue negotiations and hold another hearing on November 14. A floor vote could take place as soon as November 26. A comparison chart of the three California health reform proposals: http://www.calhealthreform.org/pdf/comparison.pdf
Addiction Prevention and TreatmentParents Held Responsible Parents who knowingly permit underage drinking in their homes, with the result that someone is injured or killed, could face felony charges under a new law signed by the Illinois Governor on August 31. Sponsored by Senator Susan Garrett, SB 158 was drafted after two students who had been drinking at a party died in a car crash, reports the Chicago Tribune. Previous law allowed misdemeanor charges with possible jail time and a fine. The new law provides for one to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine. “This isn’t meant to be heavy-handed,” the Senator said. “The key word here is ‘knowingly.’ The only way parents can be subject to this is if they clearly know what’s going on.” Meanwhile, an investigation by the Cook County Daily Herald found that, despite stricter laws, a large number of repeat offenders in the state continue to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Over the past four years, Illinois has passed 24 drunk-driving laws and increased awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, but the Daily Herald found that 20 percent of alcohol-related crash fatalities in the state are caused by drivers who have had a drunken-driving arrest within the previous three years. Montana to Fund Treatment Facilities For the first time ever, Montana will directly pay for drug and alcohol treatment. Governor Brian Schweitzer has set aside $4 million in state funds to open eight drug and alcohol treatment centers in the state. The centers will provide long-term (six to nine months) of residential care for individuals with addiction disorders, with charges based on ability to pay. Each center will have room for eight people at a time, who will live in the facilities for six to nine months. Providers and WorkforceVermont Experiencing Pharmacist Shortage Residents of the Green Mountain state have been complaining of shortened drug store hours, and senior citizens and others are facing problems in filling prescriptions. A growing shortage of pharmacists is to blame, a situation that the nation as a whole is grappling with as well. Some point to the lack of a pharmacy school in the state as a reason for the severity of the problem, but the good news is the Albany School of Pharmacy is in the planning stages of creating a satellite campus in the Burlington area. But James Marmar, executive director of the Vermont Pharmacists' Association, said that may not solve the problem. "Even in Connecticut, where they have a school, stores are closing," Marmar said. For more information: http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071029/NEWS03/710290325/1004/NEWS03
In Other News: Nursing Home Staffing Shortages in Two States South Dakota Kentucky Technical Assistance Support Available…just give us a callThrough the Critical Health Areas Project (CHAP), NCSL has been funded to respond in greater depth to state legislatures’ requests for technical assistance concerning chronic care and quality, healthcare access, addiction prevention and treatment, and providers and workforce. Topics are, of course, tailored to your state's needs. Examples of types of assistance available include support for a briefing or workshop for a legislative committee or study commission that provides information from other states and experts in the field or working with legislative staff to identify related actions in other states and useful resources. If you are interested in learning more about the services NCSL could provide, please contact any of the individuals listed here. Chronic Care & Quality: Carla Curran, carla.curran@ncsl.org, 303-364-1373
Healthcare Access: Donna Folkemer, donna.folkemer@ncsl.org, 202-624-8171
Addiction Prevention & Treatment: Allison Colker, allison.colker@ncsl.org, 202-624-3581
Providers & Workforce: Tara Lubin, tara.lubin@ncsl.org, 202-624-3558 For more information on CHAP and these critical issue areas, visit our website! http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/forum/chap/index.htm The Critical Health Areas Project (CHAP) newsletter is published monthly by the Forum for State Health Policy Leadership at NCSL and funded through the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. |
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