Recent federal legislation and the economic downturn have brought Medicaid to the forefront of the policy arena. Significant changes are on the horizon for Medicaid as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). With these changes coming at a time of declining state revenues, state policymakers have become concerned about the impact on their ability to balance their budgets. As researchers and policymakers set their sights on potential solutions, the issue of state-to-state variation has come into play. Different states have inherently different needs from their Medicaid programs, and vary greatly in spending per beneficiary. 

Medicaid is the primary safety-net insurance system in the United States and covers approximately 60 million Americans. While Medicaid covers medical and long-term care, dental coverage is optional for adults. Due to the optional status of this benefit, it is often one of the first items eliminated when states experience budget shortfalls. In a HCFO-funded study, Neal Wallace, Ph.D., examined a change in Oregon’s Medicaid program that resulted in a natural experiment to explore the impacts of eliminating dental benefits on low-income adults.

Vincent Mor, Ph.D., is the Florence Pirce Grant Professor of Community Health in the Public Health Program of the Brown University School of Medicine. From June 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011, Dr. Mor served as the principal investigator on a HCFO-funded study titled “Impact of State Medicaid Policy Changes on Nursing Home Hospitalization.” This study examined state nursing home bed hold payment policies, and how they impact the rate of hospitalization of nursing home residents.

Julia Prentice, Ph.D., and colleagues published “Primary Care and Health Outcomes Among Older Patients with Diabetes,” August 2011, in Health Services Research early view online.

Patricia Ketsche, Ph.D., and colleagues published, “Lower-Income Families Pay a Higher Share of Income Toward National Health Care Spending Than Higher-Income Families Do,” September 2011, in Health Affairs.

Glenn Melnick, Ph.D., and colleagues published, “The Increased Concentration of Health Plan Markets Can Benefit Consumers Through Lower Hospital Prices,” September 2011, in Health Affairs.

Grantees in the News

Following its recent publication in Health Affairs, HCFO-funded work led by Lawrence Casalino, M.D., Ph.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College, was featured on the Well Blog of the New York Times. The article, “An Insurance Maze for U.S. Doctors” highlighted Casalino’s finding that physicians in the United States spend four times the amount of money interacting with insurance companies than their colleagues in Canada

HCFO grantee Donald Taylor, Jr., Ph.D., of Duke University, recently published Balancing the Budget is a Progressive Priority. The book outlines policy steps for achieving a balanced budget and addressing the role of health care reform in reaching this goal. His current HCFO grant is assessing the relationship between use, quality, and cost in the Medicare hospice benefit across different care settings.

HCFO grantees Patricia Ketsche, Ph.D. and Glenn Melnick, Ph.D., were featured at a Health Affairs briefing in Washington, D.C. on September 8, 2011. The briefing unveiled the journal’s “Confronting Costs” issue, which features articles from Ketsche and Melnick based on their HCFO-funded work.

RWJF Releases

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the content alert “Health Affairs Full of RWJF-Funded Work on Key Health Topics” on September 8. It highlights findings from HCFO-sponsored studies led by Patricia Ketsche and Glenn Melnick.

Events

HCFO Webinar: Getting and Using Medicare Data: What I Wish I Had Known Before I Started My Research

Medicare data has long been an important resource for researchers and policymakers who study the U.S. health care system. The process of acquiring and using data, however, can be complex to navigate. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) program, in collaboration with AcademyHealth’s Methods Council, is pleased to offer a webinar on best practices for obtaining and using Medicare data for research. Two experienced HCFO researchers, Jack Hoadley of Georgetown University and Jim Reschovsky of the Center for Studying Health System Change, will share some of their accumulated wisdom in getting and working with Medicare data in their research. In addition, Barbara Frank from the Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) at the University of Minnesota will provide additional resources, tips, and best practices drawn from her organization’s role as a CMS contractor assisting researchers in obtaining and working with Medicare data. This webinar is intended for both new and experienced researchers.

Date: September 27, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM-2:30 PM EDT
To register visit:  http://www.academyhealth.org/Training/ResourceDetail.cfm?itemnumber=7362

HCFO Webinar: Getting and Using Medicare Data: What I Wish I Had Known Before I Started My Research