Publications

Publications

stethoscope money

Medicaid and Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital programs

Congress created the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program in the early 1980s to help hospitals offset the costs of providing care to low-income individuals. Medicaid and Medicare each have a distinct DSH program, with a unique structure and financing mechanism. In addition to giving a brief overview of the Medicaid and Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital programs, this document will: Discuss …

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Care transitions: Best practices and evidence-based programs

Poorly coordinated care transitions from the hospital to other care settings cost an estimated $12 billion to $44 billion per year. Poor transitions also often result in poor health outcomes. The most common adverse effects associated with poor transitions are injuries due to medication errors, complications from procedures, infections, and falls. Providers are focused on improving transitions, due in part …

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Affordable Care Act funding: An analysis of grant programs under health care reform

This brief examines grant programs funded by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), how funds have been distributed to states and local organizations, and the effects of budget sequestration on future ACA funding. The ACA aims to expand health insurance coverage and introduce health care delivery reforms that improve quality and lower costs. The ACA is designed to reduce the number …

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Access to mental health care in Michigan

One in five Michigan residents report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives. Mental health disorders cause more disability among Americans than any other illness group. Using data from the Cover Michigan Survey and the Michigan Primary Care Physician Survey, both fielded in calendar year 2012, this brief explores issues related to the prevalence of mental …

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Impact of benefit design on cost, use, and health: Literature review

Many employers use cost-sharing in their health insurance benefit designs as a means to reduce costs and, for some designs, encourage improved enrollee health behaviors. This paper summarizes the literature on the impact that three commonly used benefit designs have on cost, use of services, and health status: High-deductible health plans, which include consumer-directed health plans; Value-based insurance design; and …

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An introduction to health care payment reform: Research foundations, implementation, operational strengths and challenges

Policymakers across the country are currently engaged in discussions on how to improve the way that health care providers are paid for the services they deliver. These discussions involve how to shift payment systems away from traditional fee for services and toward rewarding providers that achieve excellent outcomes and deliver value to their patients. While both private and public payers …

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Emerging health insurance products in an era of health reform

At least in part in response to the health coverage changes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many health plans are making significant changes to products that they plan to offer in the employer and individual market. While insurers were already moving away from paying for volume and toward paying for value prior to health reform, the ACA has been …

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Employee cost-sharing for health insurance in Michigan and the United States

This brief reports on trends in health insurance premiums and cost-sharing among private-sector employers in Michigan and the United States from 2002 to 2012, and provides a focused look at high-deductible health plans by employer size. From 2002 through 2012, average total premiums in the United States increased by approximately 80 percent. While employer cost-control efforts in the 1990s could …

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Private health insurance in Michigan and the U.S.: Declines in employer-sponsored insurance

More than 500,000 people in Michigan lost their private health insurance from 2008 to 2011. The primary reason for the decline in private insurance in Michigan and in the nation was the erosion of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), the most common way that Americans get private coverage. From 1999 to 2011, the proportion of individuals covered by ESI decreased by approximately …

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Federally qualified health centers: Are they effective?

In 1964, the Office of Economic Opportunity established federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which were initially called neighborhood health centers, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” The legislative goals for neighborhood health centers were to: Provide comprehensive, high-quality health services. Be accessible to low-income residents. Be responsive to patient needs. Offer employment, education and social assistance. …

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