Out-of-Pocket Burden of Health Care Spending and the Adequacy of the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy - The Commonwealth Fund

Authors: Becky A. Briesacher, Ph.D., Dennis Ross-Degnan, Sc.D., Anita K. Wagner, Pharm.D., Dr.P.H., Hassan Fouayzi, M.S., Fang Zhang, Ph.D., Jerry H. Gurwitz, M.D., and Stephen B. Soumerai, Sc.D.

Medications are among the biggest drivers of out-of-pocket health care costs in the United States. The burden falls particularly heavy on older adults, who, on average, take four to five drugs on a regular basis. This Commonwealth Fund–supported study examined the amount of household resources allocated to out-of-pocket health spending in the year before Medicare's Part D drug benefit took effect.

---

What the Study Found

• In the year prior to Part D, more than half of Medicare families faced "burdensome" health care costs, meaning they spent more than 40 percent of their household resources on health care, after paying for housing, food, and other essentials.
• Medicare families in poor health directed 68 percent of nonessential resources to health care.
• Nearly two-thirds of out-of-pocket health care spending went to health insurance premiums and medications.
• About one-quarter of Medicare families with burdensome health care costs were not eligible for a low-income sub

Full Article

Growing Ranks of Older Drivers Among Safest on Florida Roads

Image via Wikipedia
By Angel Streeter

Older adults are rolling. They are the fastest-growing segment of drivers nationwide.

They will drive more miles than previous generations and long into old age.

That may make some people skittish as they envision grandmotherly types inching along the highway with their heads barely above the steering wheel.

But no need to worry: Older adults are among the safest drivers on the roads, according to state and national statistics.

State crash statistics shows that older adults have fewer crashes than young people, who have the highest crash rates, but also fewer than drivers in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

In 2009, the crash rate for 65-year-old Florida drivers was 106.75 per 10,000 licensed drivers. At 75, it was 98.27 and at 85, it was 88.85.

Compare that to 20-year-old drivers at 348.58 crashes per 10,000 licensed drivers. At 40, it was 205.7. At 50, it was 172.86.

That trend bears out nationally as well.
Full Article

A Graying Population Spells Business Opportunity - NYTimes.com

Image via Wikipedia
By NATASHA SINGER

IT’S not easy being gray.

For the first time ever, getting out of a car is no picnic. My back is hunched. And I’m holding on to handrails as I lurch upstairs.

I’m 45. But I feel decades older because I’m wearing an Age Gain Now Empathy System, developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Agnes, they call it.

At first glance, it may look like a mere souped-up jumpsuit. A helmet, attached by cords to a pelvic harness, cramps my neck and spine. Yellow-paned goggles muddy my vision. Plastic bands, running from the harness to each arm, clip my wingspan. Compression knee bands discourage bending. Plastic shoes, with uneven Styrofoam pads for soles, throw off my center of gravity. Layers of surgical gloves make me all thumbs.

The age-empathy suit comes from the M.I.T. AgeLab, where researchers designed Agnes to help product designers and marketers better understand older adults and create innovative products for them. Many industries have traditionally shied away from openly marketing to people 65 and older, viewing them as an unfashionable demographic group that might doom their product with young and hip spenders. But now that Americans are living longer and more actively, a number of companies are recognizing the staying power of the mature market.
Full Article

Aged Care Bonds Must Be Capped - Australian Nursing Federation

Image via Wikipedia
The Australian Nursing Federation says media reports of aged care residents paying up to $2 million in bonds highlights the urgent need for reforms that ensure equity of access and quality of care.

ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas said the reports allude to the competitive nature of the current system with differing levels of quality and care offered by residential facilities.

"When you hear about some people paying up to $2 million in bonds to secure a place in a residential aged care facility that is reputed to have good staff levels and infrastructure it rings alarm bells. Bonds should be capped to ensure some level of equity."

Ms Thomas said the current review of the aged care system must ensure all older Australians have access to high quality nursing care in accommodation that is comfortable and structurally sound.

"The major concern we have with the recent Productivity Commission report is the fixation on financial matters and the lack of attention to staffing and skills mix.

"While we all recognise the need for adequate funding for bricks and mortar and the need for people to contribute to the cost of their care if they can, we also want a safety net for those who can't afford to pay," Ms Thomas said.

One of the key issues in guaranteeing equity in access and care lies in addressing the staffing and working conditions in the sector, according to the ANF.

"We don't want to end up with a system that provides high quality care for those who can afford to pay and an inferior service for those who can't."

Source:
Australian Nursing Federation

Spending on Behavioral Health is a Shrinking Portion of Overall Health Expenditures

Image via Wikipedia

SAMHSA News Release

Spending on psychiatric drugs grew by 5.6 percent from 2004 to 2005, down from the 27.3 percent growth from 1999 to 2000 according to a study published today in the February issue of Health Affairs. The study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration analyzed healthcare costs from 1986 to 2005 to determine patterns in expenditures for behavioral health services. SAMHSA is publishing the full report entitled National Expenditures for Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Treatment, 1986 - 2005 that can be found at the SAMHSA web site.

In 2005, the latest year comparable data is available, behavioral health spending accounted for 7.3 percent ($135 billion) of the $1.85 trillion spent on all health care services in the U.S. During the 20-year study period, both mental health and substance abuse spending grew more slowly than all other health spending: 4.8 percent annually for substance abuse, 6.9 percent annually for mental health, and 7.9 percent annually for all health care services. The same pattern held in the most recent 2002-2005 period, in which spending for substance abuse grew slowest (5.0 percent), followed by mental health (6.4 percent), and all health (7.3 percent).

SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., commented, "Behavioral health services are critical to health systems and community strategies that improve health status and they lower costs for individuals, families, businesses, and governments. The value of behavioral health services is well documented. Studies have shown that every dollar invested in evidence-based treatments yields $2.00 to $10.00 in savings in health costs, criminal & juvenile justice costs, educational costs, and lost productivity. Yet, too many people don’t get needed help for substance abuse or mental health problems and health care costs continue to skyrocket."

The study found that private insurance spends about 5 percent on behavioral health treatment. Spending on behavioral health treatment (mental health and substance abuse) comprised 4.8 percent of private health insurance expenditures in 2005 and grew by 7 percent from 2004 to 2005. This estimate provides an important baseline for evaluating the impact of the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act and Affordable Care Act. In contrast, Medicaid behavioral health was responsible for 11.5 percent of total spending by Medicaid. Thus the study indicates that the level of public spending on behavioral health issues may be related to lack of private insurance benefit for many with mental health needs and that these problems may be addressed with parity.

The study’s key findings included:

• Unlike overall health spending, the vast majority of behavioral health services is publicly funded. In 2005, public payers accounted for the 79 percent of spending on substance abuse treatment services and 58 percent of spending on mental health services. In contrast, public payers accounted for less than half (46 percent) of all-health spending.
• Psychiatric drug spending growth is declining. In the past psychiatric drugs were a major driver of overall mental health spending - contributing almost half of the increase in mental health spending between 1998 and 2002. However, because of the wider use of less-expensive generic drugs and reduced numbers of new people using psychiatric medications, the growth rate in spending for these drugs actually slowed from 27.3 percent from 1999 to 2000 to only 5.6 percent from 2004 to 2005.
• Spending on addiction medications is increasing but still remains relatively small. As a result of the introduction of new medications to treat substance dependence, spending on addiction medications has grown rapidly -- from $10 million in 1992 to $141 million in 2005. More recent data from IMS Health shows continued rapid increases up to $780 million in 2009. However, it remains only a small fraction of the entire amount spent on substance abuse treatment (0.6 percent of $22 billion in 2005).
• Private insurance spends about 5 percent on behavioral health treatment. Spending on behavioral health treatment (mental health and substance abuse) comprised 4.8 percent of private health insurance expenditures in 2005 and grew by 7 percent from 2004 to 2005. This estimate provides an important baseline for evaluating the impact of the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act and Affordable Care Act. In contrast, Medicaid behavioral health was responsible for 11.5 percent of total spending by Medicaid in 2005.

For those seeking the Health Affairs summary article, the citation is Mark TL, Levit KR, Vandivort-Warren R, Buck JA, Coffey RM. Changes in U.S .Spending on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment, 1986 2005, And Implications for Policy. Health Affairs 30, No 2. (2011) (abstract available at : http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/30/2/284). The full report is available at the SAMHSA Website under financing in the health care reform section.

Data files from the National Expenditure report are available at http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA10-4612.

---

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

Spending on behavioral health is a shrinking portion of overall health expenditures

Europe's eHealth Solutions Grow with Aging Population

As the baby boom population in Europe ages, there is a growing demand for eHealth products and services. In the European Union, eHealth technology is already worth 15 billion euro and Brussels is now trying to work on legislation that will make it easier to implement in the coming years, according to EurActiv.com.

Currently, there are a number of telehealth projects that help reduce the duration of a patient's hospital stay by providing an in-home care solution. These include Holland's diabeticStation and Italy's MyDoctor@home service.

Full Article

Is Richard Foster Right About Health Care Costs? - Kaiser Health News

by Jonathan Cohn, Senior Editor of The New Republic

Last week, before a lower federal judge in Florida declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, another relatively obscure government figure generated news about health care reform. It was Richard Foster, the chief actuary at the federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid.

During a Capitol Hill hearing, Foster was asked to judge claims that the health law would "hold down costs." Foster said he thought the claim was "false … more than true." Critics of the overhaul seized on his comments as proof that they have been right -- and proponents have been wrong -- about the law's fiscal impact.

It's a legitimate argument. Unlike the controversy over death panels, the issue of how much health reform will ultimately cost is both complicated and open to honest differences of opinion. And unlike, say, the right-wing scare-monger Betsy McCaughey, Rick Foster is a bona fide expert with a record of intellectual integrity. Remember those stories about the government official who, in 2003, challenged the Bush Administration's optimistic projections about what the Medicare drug bill would cost? Foster was that official.

But if we're going to take Foster seriously, it's important to be clear about what he said, what he didn't say, and what it all it means.
Full Article

British Boomers Looking for Advice on Retiring Abroad

Many people entering their golden years have decided to move abroad to find a more affordable way to retire. However, one survey conducted by website Shelter Offshore has found that 42 out of 50 British expats lack confidence when it comes to financial planning, according to The Telegraph.

The study indicates that companies marketing to baby boomers may want to offer an organized and refined consulting approach to retiring abroad.

Full Article

Profit Status of Hospice May Mold Patient Census from MedPage Today

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

For-profit hospice agencies -- which have been increasing in number in recent years -- are more likely to enroll patients with dementia and noncancer diagnoses who require less care than nonprofit hospices, researchers found.
Full Article

ONC announces launch of "Direct Project" pilots

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) announced today that providers and public health agencies in Minnesota and Rhode Island began this month exchanging health information using specifications developed by the Direct Project, an 'open government' initiative that calls on cooperative efforts by organizations in the health care and information technology sectors.  Other Direct Project pilot programs will also be launched soon in New York, Connecticut, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and California to demonstrate the effectiveness of the streamlined Direct Project approach, which supports information exchange for core elements of patient care and public health reporting. 

The launch of the pilot demonstrations, less than a year from the inception of the Direct Project, shows the project is on track to give U.S. health care providers early access to an easy-to-use, internet-based tool that can replace mail and fax transmissions of patient data with secure and efficient electronic health information exchange.

"This is an important milestone in our journey to achieve secure health information exchange, and it means that health care providers large and small will have an early option for electronic exchange of information supporting their most basic and frequently-needed uses," said Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information technology.  "Other efforts are also going forward at full-throttle to build a comprehensive structure of health information exchange.  But by bringing together health care and IT companies, including competitors, to rapidly produce a system that supports basic clinical delivery and public health needs, we will be able to more quickly start building electronic information exchange into our health care system."

Designed as part of President Obama's 'open government' initiative to drive rapid innovation, the Direct Project last year brought together some 200 participants from more than 60 companies and other organizations.  The volunteers worked together to assemble consensus standards that support secure exchange of basic clinical information and public health data.  Now, pilot testing of information exchange based on Direct Project specifications is being carried out on schedule this year, aiming toward formal adoption of the standards and wide availability for providers by 2012.

"This is a new approach to public sector leadership, and it works," said Aneesh Chopra, the United States Chief Technology Officer.  "Instead of depending on a traditional top-down approach, stakeholders worked together to develop an open, standardized platform that dramatically lowers costs and barriers to secure health information exchange. The Direct Project is a great example of how government can work as a convener to catalyze new ideas and business models through collaboration."

The two pilot programs that have already begun using Direct Project-based information exchange are in Minnesota and Rhode Island:

Since mid-January, Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), Minnesota's premier Level 1 Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, has been successfully sending immunization records to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). "This demonstrates the success that is possible through public-private collaborations," said James Golden, PhD, Minnesota's state HIT coordinator. "This is an important milestone for Minnesota and a key step toward the seamless electronic movement of information to improve care and public health." 

Recognizing Minnesota's leadership in delivering high-quality, cost-effective healthcare, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said, "this is the type of innovation that can help strengthen our health care system by reducing waste and improving quality. We need to continue to improve our health care system by continuing to integrate information technology to better serve patients and providers."
The second pilot implementation site, The Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI), has delivered a pilot project with two primary goals. First, RIQI is improving patient care when patients are referred to specialists by demonstrating simple, direct provider-to-provider data. Second, RIQI is leveraging Direct Project messaging as a means to securely feed clinical information, with patient consent from practice-based EHRs to the state-wide HIE, currentcare, to improve quality by detecting gaps in care and making sure the full record is available to all care providers.

Discussing RIQI's collaborative approach to health IT, Laura Adams, president and CEO of RIQI said, "All too often, providers do not have the data they need to take the best care of patients they serve. Direct Project allows the Quality Institute to be on the cutting edge - providing health information exchange via currentcare, delivering the efficient rollout of technology through the Regional Extension Center, and enabling and measuring real patient outcome improvements in our Beacon Community. The ability to bring together and drive consensus among a diverse set of stakeholders has been critical in the successful rollout of these innovative programs."

"Rhode Island continues to be a nationwide leader in improving health care with better information technology," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). "Health care providers communicating with each other in a secure and cost-efficient way helps patients get better sooner with less hassle and confusion."

Other pilot projects to be launched this year include a Tennessee effort with the Veteran's Administration, local hospitals and CareSpark to provide care to veterans and their families; a New York effort including clinicians in hospital and ambulatory care settings with MedAllies and EHR vendors; a Connecticut effort involving patients, hospitals, ambulatory care settings and a Federally Qualified Health Center with Medical Professional Services, a PHR, and a major reference laboratory; an expansion of the VisionShare immunization data pilot to Oklahoma; a California rural care effort involving patients, hospitals and ambulatory care settings with Redwood MedNet; and an effort in South Texas with a collaboration of hospitals, ambulatory care settings, public health, and community health organizations to improve care to mothers with gestational diabetes and their newborns.

The Direct Project was launched in March 2010 as a part of the Nationwide Health Information Network, to specify a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet in support of Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirements.  Participants include EHR and PHR vendors, medical organizations, systems integrators, integrated delivery networks, federal organizations, state and regional health information organizations, organizations that provide health information exchange capabilities, and health information technology consultants.

Information transfers supported by Direct Project specifications address core needs, including standardized exchange of laboratory results; physician-to-physician transfers of summary patient records; transmission of data from physicians to hospitals for patient admission; transmission of hospital discharge data back to physicians; and transmission of information to public health agencies.  In addition to representing most-needed information transfers for clinicians and hospitals, these information exchange capabilities will also support providers in meeting "meaningful use" objectives established last year by HHS, and will thus support providers in qualifying for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments in their use of electronic health records.  The Direct Project specifications can also support physician-to-patient information transfers, and Microsoft Corp. today announced an application for that purpose based on Direct Project standards. For more information about the Direct Project, please visit http://directproject.org.

Other ongoing efforts supported by ONC are underway to bring about a comprehensive health information structure in the U.S.  These include technical and governance issues that are being addressed under the Nationwide Health Information Network, which embodies the standards, services and policies that enable health information exchange over the internet.  The Nationwide Health Information Network Exchange is already supporting some health information exchange between federal agencies and the private sector.  In addition, ONC provides grants to states to develop locally-appropriate policies and standards for health information exchange that are consonant with broader national standards.

For more information about the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, please visit http://healthit.hhs.gov.


###



Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Many Boomers Report No Savings; Debt, Retirement Challenges - AARP Bulletin

by: Carole Fleck from: AARP Bulletin

The generation that gave rise to Hula-Hoops, Woodstock and Jimi Hendrix is reaching America's traditional retirement age this year woefully unprepared. As the oldest of the boomers turn 65, they face a retirement that is unlikely to go as smoothly as their parents' did.

The lingering pain from the most severe recession since World War II is partly to blame. Many boomers are on the verge of ending their work lives without fully recovering fortunes lost in the housing and stock markets.
That translates to less money to fund their retirement years, which could stretch for three decades given that boomers can expect to live into their 90s.

A poll released Wednesday found that a whopping 25 percent of people ages 46 to 64 say they have no retirement savings — and 26 percent have no personal savings.

The situation is almost as grim for adults 65 and older: 22 percent have no retirement savings and 14 percent have no personal savings, according to the poll of 2,151 adults conducted in November by Harris Interactive.

Full Article

Fewer Workers Age 60 and Up Postponing Retirement

Image by Julie70 via Flickr
As the economy gradually recovers, some mature workers are feeling more comfortable about retiring now compared to last year at this time. According to a new survey from CareerBuilder, 65 percent of workers age 60 plus said they are putting off retirement because they can't afford to retire financially; down from 72 percent who said the same last year. The nationwide survey was conducted among more than 500 U.S. workers age 60 and up between November 15 and December 2, 2010.

More than one-in-four (28 percent) mature workers age 60 plus plan to retire within the next two years, while 27 percent are planning to retire in three to four years, and 18 percent in the next five to six years. Sixteen percent estimate it will be seven years or more before they can stop working, while one-in-ten workers (10 percent) don't think they'll ever be able to retire.

The primary drivers for postponing retirement are financial restraints, as indicated by 65 percent of respondents, and the need for health insurance and other benefits, as indicated by 58 percent of respondents. However, mature workers are staying on board at their companies for a variety of other reasons, including:

* Enjoy their job (39 percent)
* Enjoy where they work (36 percent)
* Fear retirement may just be boring (26 percent)
* Enjoy feeling needed (14 percent)

"It's encouraging to see that more workers have the option to retire if they want to, but there are still some who want to keep working at their companies for a variety of reasons," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "Twenty-two percent of workers age 60 and up that we surveyed said they have asked their employer to stay longer with the company, while 29 percent of companies said they are open to keeping workers on board a little longer.

Record number of pensioners still working | CARDI : Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland

By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor, The Telegraph - United Kingdom

A record number of people are still working beyond the age or retirement, according to official statistics, which suggested the recession has forced people to work far longer than they used to.

Nearly one in every eight men – or 11.7 per cent – of men aged 65 or over, and 12.3 per cent of women aged 60 or over are still working, according to the Office for National statistics.

These are the highest rates since records began and compare against rates of between 7 or 8 per cent throughout the 1990s.

The figures suggest that thousands of pensioners are going back to work to fund their slim incomes, or that they are not in a financially strong enough position to retire in the first place. Some are also actively choosing to work longer, because of better health and a desire to keep active.

They are the latest data to demonstrate how the recession has changed the face of Britain's workforce, leading to far more part-time workers and older workers, while leaving many more young people out of work.

The ONS figures also showed that the average age of retirement has significantly increased in recent years and hit a new record. The average age for men was 64.7 years during 2010, up from 63 in 1996. Women left the workplace when they were 62.5 years old, on average – a full two years after the official retirement age, and up from 60.6 in 1996.

Full Article

Health Care Debate Must Not Forget the Vulnerable - The Hill's Congress Blog

By Joel C. Hunter - 02/02/11 04:00 PM ET

As some in the Senate are determined to move forward a vote to repeal health care reform, the disconnect between the rushed and charged nature of the debate on Capitol Hill and the care and caution such a momentous decision requires is striking.

As a pastor who strives to follow the scripture-recorded call of Jesus to “heal the sick,” I consider access to health care to be a faith-based goal. God desires healing and abundant life for the poor as well as the rich, and denial of health care coverage falls far short of God’s standards of justice and compassion for people.

Discerning the best path for our nation to solve such problems isn’t nearly as easy as recognizing the moral imperative. But given the scale of our health care system’s shortcomings, we need our individual acts of compassion but also systemic policy solutions.

I supported the Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law last March, because I believe that government help can be one of the ways God provides for the needs of people. As in the Genesis story when God placed Joseph into government to provide for those without resources, God’s means are not limited to individual or religious institutions’ efforts today.

Dr. Joel C. Hunter is senior pastor of Northland – A Church Distributed, a nationally-recognized evangelical megachurch in Longwood, Florida. He served on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals’ board of directors.

Full Article

Updated: Procedures for Implementing Veteran Directed Home and Community Based Services

Image by dianecordell via Flickr
The VD-HCBS program provides veterans the opportunity to receive home and community-based services that enable them to avoid institutionalization and continue to live in their homes and communities. The Procedures for Implementing Veteran Directed Home and Community-Based Services describes requirements and procedures for implementing VD-HCBS locally.

VA Caregiver Support Line

Image via Wikipedia
On February 1, 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opened a toll-free National Caregiver Support Line.  The support line serves as a primary resource/referral center to assist caregivers, Veterans and others seeking caregiver information to help in the care of our Nation's Veterans.

Calls to The National Caregiver Support Line will be answered by VA employees who are licensed clinical social workers.

The Support Line provides information on VA/ community caregiver support resources and "warm" referral to dedicated Caregiver Support Coordinators located in every VA Medical Center; emotional support for the caregiver is an integral component of this service. The National Caregiver Support Line is also available to respond to inquiries about the caregiver benefits associated with Public Law 111-163, Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010.

The National Caregiver Support Line will be open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the Toll-Free number is 1-855-260-3274.

You can also visit the VA's updated VA Caregiver Support: Caring for those Who Care Website

Daily Number: Most Want to Keep or Fix Health Care Reform - Pew Research Center

Overall opinions about health care legislation passed in 2010 are not overwhelmingly favorable: 41% say they approve of the legislation while 48% disapprove. But while the public remains divided over what it wants to see done with the health care law, far more (55%) want the legislation either expanded (35%) or left as is (20%) than favor its repeal (37%). While there is very little partisan difference in opinions about the importance of revising the health care legislation passed last year, Republicans and Democrats have very different ideas about how to revise it. More than six-in-ten (64%) Republicans support repealing health care legislation while roughly half (51%) of Democrats support expanding it. Independents are divided -- 38% would repeal the legislation and 37% would expand it. Notably, the option of leaving the legislation as it is wins only modest support across the board. Read more

Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project

Health information remains one of the most important subjects that internet users research online. Symptoms and treatments continue to dominate internet users' health searches, but food safety, drug safety, and pregnancy information are among eight new topics included in the current survey. In all, 80% of internet users gather health information online. Read more.

Two Mental Health Publications Available from SAMHSA

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Medicaid, 2003

In 2003, Medicaid provided health care coverage for 55 million people, nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population, and was a major source of funding for mental health and substance abuse services. By 2014, Medicaid is projected to pay for 27 percent of the costs for all mental health services and 20 percent of the costs for all substance abuse treatment. Because of their complex needs and high expenditure levels, Medicaid beneficiaries who use these services continue to be the subject of much discussion among policymakers and program administrators at the state and Federal levels.

This report can help inform these policy discussions because it is designed for representatives of consumer groups, Medicaid directors, state mental health directors, and anyone who is concerned about mental health and substance abuse services for vulnerable citizens.

Related Resources

State Profiles of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Medicaid

Establishing and Maintaining Medicaid Eligibility Upon Release From Public Institutions

State Mandates for Treatment for Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

---

Mental Health, United States, 2008 This new, redesigned edition provides information on the mental health status of the U.S. population, the providers and settings for mental health services, the types of mental health services and rates of utilization, and expenditures and sources of funding for mental health services.

It is a resource for state officials and policymakers, mental health researchers, advocacy organizations, mental health consumers and family members, and anyone with an interest in learning about the mental health services in the United States and the populations served by the U.S. mental health system.

Related Resources

Projections of National Expenditures for Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004–2014

Mental Health Findings: Results From the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

Mental Health, United States, 2004

Maternal Stroke History Tied to MI Risk in Women

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

A family history of stroke -- especially among female relatives -- may help predict the risk of acute coronary syndromes in women, a large prospective study found.
Full Article

More Parkinson Genes Uncovered from MedPage Today

By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today

Five new genomic variants associated with Parkinson's disease were discovered in a reanalysis of data from five earlier genome-wide scans -- which also confirmed six other variants linked to the disease in the earlier studies.
Full Article

Social Media and the Online Lives of Baby Boomers: A Conversation with Jeff Taylor, Eons.com

Much to the dismay of their children, baby boomers are online and doing more than checking out pictures of family members and exchanging recipes. Boomers are moving to online communities to help them with the daily ‘jobs’ of midlife and older age. Certainly these online jobs include the common activities of shopping and email. However, an increasing number of midlife-plus users are using social media as an important platform to research, choose, validate and adopt products and services. Living online for older users (in sharp contrast to most younger digerati) includes using the web and making new ‘friends’ to help with critical choices and behaviors that support health, caregiving, financial services, retirement planning, employment hunting and networking and yes, even fun and leisure.

Mobility Counseling: Principles and Core Components

Drs. Tom Meuser and Marla Berg-Weger discuss their recent, NCST funded research on readiness for driving transitions, including the principles and core components of mobility counseling, in a free audio conference. Dr. Berg-Weger, co-chair of the Gerontological Society of America’s Transportation and Aging Interest Group summarizes, “Mobility counseling is a new and growing area as persons living into their eighth and ninth decades of life will likely need to retire from driving and find alternative means of remaining mobile. A person-centered approach to mobility counseling that integrates meanings and emotions is an important first step.”

This conference will also introduce the Assessment of Readiness for Mobility Transition tool developed to assist practitioners working with older adults who can no longer drive a vehicle safely. Through the use of this tool, a mobility counselor can develop a shared understanding of what is occurring and finds ways to intervene to promote effective planning for the future and possible transitions. The ARMT tool is designed to support this process by raising key concerns about mobility (i.e., those expressed by other adults of various ages and levels of functional ability) and by placing those concerns on the table for active discussion and planning. Responses will help inform mobility counselors as to what approaches and messages would be more likely to resonate with individuals.

Moderators

• Lucinda Shannon, National Center on Senior Transportation

Presenters

• Dr. Tom Meuser, PhD, University of Missouri
• Marla Berg-Weger, PhD, LCSW, Saint Louis University

Join us for this free audio conference! Please register by clicking on the button labeled "Sign Me Up"

Dial-in instructions will be in your registration confirmation email.

If you'd like to attend this event you must RSVP online by Wednesday February 23.
Learn more about the Assessment of Readiness for Mobility Transition project.

If you have comments or questions please contact Lucinda Shannon at lshannon@easterseals.com.

Note: The time listed is Eastern Time.
Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

If you'd like to attend this event you can RSVP online.

Once you have reservations, you can still click Sign Me Up to increase or decrease the number of people in your party (subject to availability).

National Center on Senior Transportation:

Loneliness Is 'Hidden Killer' of Elderly | CARDI : Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland

Image via Wikipedia
Loneliness is the "hidden killer" of elderly people, says a campaign group, which is calling for greater recognition of the link between isolation and ill-health.

A group of charities is launching the Campaign to End Loneliness.

Full Article

'Pay China First' -- Republicans' Wild Plan To Avoid U.S. Debt Default | TPMDC

Image via Wikipediaby Brian Beutler

New Republican legislation in the House and Senate would force the U.S. government to reroute huge amounts of money to China and other creditors in the event that Congress fails to raise its debt ceiling.

"I intend to introduce legislation that would require the Treasury to make interest payments on our debt its first priority in the event that the debt ceiling is not raised," Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) wrote in a Friday Wall Street Journal op-ed.

If passed, Toomey's plan would require the government to cut large checks to foreign countries, and major financial institutions, before paying off its obligations to Social Security beneficiaries and other citizens owed money by the Treasury -- that is, if the U.S. hits its debt ceiling.
Full Article

Europe's Economy to Undergo Vast Changes with Aging Population

Image via Wikipedia
The aging population of baby boomers in Europe has many implications, but one of the most important is the way that this demographic will impact national economies. Experts are predicting that a significant loss of workforce coupled with high unemployment and deficit, many countries will completely restructure, according to The Guardian.

The prediction, coined "declinology," is a relatively new concept. Literature and studies are now being released that reveal that China, India and Brazil, with their growing populations, will likely surpass Europe in terms of economic power.

This is largely due to a lack of future workers in European countries - a recent report released by the bank HSBC has found that birth rates in the continent are too low to replace aging baby boomers in the workforce, according to The Telegraph.
Full Article

Some Boomers 'Retire' to Jobs that Allow Them to Help Others - USATODAY.com

By Richard Wolf

After college, Pat Daly wanted to "save the world" by working with children, but the money wasn't there. So she went into investment banking, became a director of her firm and opened offices around the world, eventually earning in the "high six figures."

Along the way, Daly got involved in philanthropy, took a course in fundraising and began to volunteer. When her job at Credit Suisse was eliminated in 2008, she chose to pursue a second career — working with kids.

WHAT GENERATION ARE YOU? Take the quiz

MORE BOOMERS: Stories, photos, videos, graphics
Full Article

Aging Germany Must Keep Older Workers Healthy and Happy | Deutsche Welle

Image via Wikipedia
Germany needs older workers more than ever to keep its industry humming and pension system financed. But there's one problem: employees aged 55 and older often miss work for longer periods of time due to illness.

Full Article

Longer Lives “a Call to Action” for the 21st Century

Image via Wikipedia
By Mark Gorman

Is the world beginning to take notice of global ageing?

The message that extended life expectancy, falling fertility rates and accelerating ageing are now truly global phenomena seems to be getting a wider hearing, and in the past few months a number of different voices have been raised on the issue.

Global ageing vs. global economy

In an article in the December 2010 edition of "Foreign Affairs" for example, Nicholas Eberstadt writes: "It is apparent that the future global economy will not be able to rely on the kind of demographic inputs that helped fuel growth in the era before the current global recession".

Rapid population ageing, he argues, represents an almost entirely undiscounted long-term risk for the world's emerging countries.

Full Article