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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Affordable Care Act funding: An analysis of grant programs under health care reform
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive law with the potential to affect the health of Americans in many ways. This issue brief focuses on ACA grants that were awarded during a shortened fiscal year 2010 (March 23, 2010 to September 30, 2010) and fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011). This brief …
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Medicaid eligibility in Michigan: 40 ways to qualify for government-supported medical assistance
Medicaid Eligibility Before the Affordable Care Act Under federal rules governing the Medicaid program, individual states have broad discretion to expand Medicaid eligibility beyond federally-mandated categories. In Michigan, there are no fewer than 40 different ways to qualify for Medicaid or other government-supported medical assistance. Eligibility requirements vary widely among the eligibility categories, and eligibility determinations are made based on …
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Medicaid eligibility, enrollment, and outreach practices across the U.S.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) expands Medicaid eligibility to all individuals at or below 133 percent of poverty (138 percent with the five percent income disregard) beginning on January 1, 2014. The law will have the greatest impact on low-income childless adults – a group that has been largely excluded from the Medicaid program under …
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Guide to state requirements and policy choices in the Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) requires the establishment of significant new state-level structures by the year 2014. This document summarizes major ACA requirements and policy choices for states between now and 2014.* The two most significant ACA requirements for state implementation between now and 2014 are: To establish health insurance exchanges for individuals and small …
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Antibiotic prescribing and use
The Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified antibiotic resistance as a major public health problem in our country. One of the biggest contributors to antibiotic resistance is the inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics. Of particular concern is the prescribing of antibiotics for infections that are usually viral in nature—colds, sore throats, …
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Impact of health reform on coverage in Michigan
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect the picture of coverage in Michigan in many different ways. While it is relatively easy to project the impact of some ACA components, such as the number of individuals who will be eligible for Medicaid after 2014, it is more difficult to project many other elements, such as how many …
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the state and local level
While health care reform has its foundation and framework at the federal level, many key elements will be carried out at the state and local level. Considerable attention has been focused on insurance reforms that will substantially alter the picture of coverage in the country, but the Affordable Care Act also includes other provisions that will affect the way care …
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Health care spending by country, state, and payer
Experts on all sides of the health reform debate agree that the current rate of growth in health care spending is unsustainable and ultimately damaging to the country’s economy and health system alike. Patients experience this stress in a more personal way, through rising out-of-pocket costs or by struggling to get the care they need. Most agree that measures to …
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