Many are concerned that growth of state Medicaid and SCHIP spending, along with limited political clout among beneficiaries, make these programs extremely vulnerable in periods of serious state budget constraints. But observations based on Community Tracking Study site visits show that states...

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, emergency preparedness has become a top priority in metropolitan areas, and some of these areas have received considerable federal funding to help support improvements. Although much progress has been made, preparedness still varies across...

The objective of this paper is to find the quantitative importance of some predictors of mortality among the population aged 70 or over. The predictors are socio-economic indicators (income, wealth and education), thirteen health indicators including a history of heart attack or cancer, and...

Reviews Tennessee's experience setting, monitoring, and updating capitation rates for Medicaid managed behavioral health care and draws lessons for other states. Finds that the initial behavioral health rate was inadequate, primarily because of the way available information was used, rather than...

A study recently published concluded that populations with different types of public health insurance have rates of receiving treatment for a substance use disorder that range from two to four times greater than the privately insured. The study was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health...

With higher payments and expanded private-plan authority, Medicare Advantage (MA) has caused the market to grow. One in three Medicare beneficiaries with Part D now gets this coverage through MA. Analysis of the sources of and reasons for enrollment growth suggest a troubling report card....

Looks at the characteristics and responsibilities of organizations that mediate risk and care management responsibility between managed care organizations and individual providers, finding that some are experiencing serious financial problems.