An interview with Fitzhugh Mullan, M.D., about the shortages and maldistributions in the primary care workforce. Mullan is a professor of medicine and health policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, where he directs a program focusing on the influence of medicine and medical education on health care and public health. Read more »
The diversity of state efforts to enhance access to basic care reflects not only different areas of unmet need, but also different political and health sector dynamics as well as the wide range of available strategies. The following Snapshots represent only a small sample of current state activities. Read more »
After Massachusetts expanded health care coverage as part of comprehensive health reform in 2006, it faced increased pressures on its primary care system. In response, the state included a set of provisions to improve access to health care services in a cost-containment bill passed in 2008. Read more »
Since 2003, the Alaska Dental Health Aide Therapist Program has trained a new type of mid-level dental provider to perform routine dental services in remote rural areas of the state, with a focus on increasing access to preventive and basic dental care for the Alaska Native population. This past year, Minnesota approved a more limited dental therapist role to help enhance access to basic dental care. Read more »
Over the past five years, Oklahoma has used a combination of rate increases, outreach, administrative simplification, and a medical home initiative to enhance access to care in SoonerCare, the state's Medicaid program. Read more »
In January 2010, Maine joined 11 other states in requiring private insurers to reimburse services provided via telemedicine. The new Maine law specifies that an insurance carrier must cover services that would be reimbursed if they were provided in person, and that patient cost-sharing for telemedicine services cannot be higher than it would be for the same service in person. Read more »
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The May/June issue of States in Action will focus on the 2009 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) and examine state progress in implementing CHIPRA in the past year. The CHIP program has historically supported state outreach and enrollment efforts; with CHIPRA, the program has now expanded its scope to include substantial support in the area of quality improvement as well. If you have a suggestion of a leader in this area who might be a good candidate for our "Ask the Expert" section, please submit a name, organizational affiliation, and a brief explanation of why you think he or she should be featured to statesinaction@cmwf.org. Read more »
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