October 27, 2008
 

The Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition is in the process of finalizing our policy agenda and advocacy priorities for the upcoming year. By renewing your membership or making a donation, you can play an active role in helping us to carry out the numerous goals related to health care reform, increasing access to health care and reducing racial health disparities.

Please consider becoming a member of IMCHC or making a tax-deductible donation to fund our work.  With your support, we can work to create a healthier society for women, children and families in Illinois.

Visit IMCHC’s secure donation page for more information and to contribute.

Voting in Illinois

The general election is November 4, 2008, but eligible voters can cast a ballot at voting centers starting Monday, October 13th through Tuesday, October 30th.   To find an early voting center in your area, visit the Illinois Board of Elections’ website.

For more information about early voting or grace period registration, visit the Illinois Board of Elections’ website; Cook County residents may visit the Cook County Clerk’s website for local information.

I-CARE Information Sessions

Thanks to funding from the Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute, the Chicago Area Immunization Campaign, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) and the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is hosting FREE information sessions to learn about the I-CARE, Illinois’ immunization registry.  

A webinar will take place on Wednesday, October 29th from 12pm-1pm. Email Kate Valentine with IAFP or call her at 630-427-8000 for more information or to register for the webinar.  

There will be an information session on Thursday, November 20th from 6pm-7:30pm at Marcello’s Restaurant in Chicago. Email Amanda Wilkins with ICAAP or call her at 312-733-1026x211 for more information or to register.  



Stay Healthy, Get Vaccinated! Upcoming Flu Clinics in Chicago

The Chicago Area Immunization Campaign, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health are coordinating a number of faith-based flu clinics through the city. Dates and locations include:

Sunday, Nov. 2, 8 - 2 PM @ Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, 752 E. 114th St.
Sunday, Nov. 9, 9 - 3 PM @ St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Place
Sunday, Nov. 9, 1 - 4 PM @ Greater Galilee MB Church, 1308 S. Independence Blvd.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 9 - 3 PM @ Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints, 3235 W. Wrightwood
Sunday, Nov. 16, 9 - 3 PM  @ St. Francis of Assisi Church, 813 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Sunday, Nov. 30, 1 - 4 PM  @ St. Mark International Christian Church, 832 N. Leclaire Ave.
Sunday, Dec. 14, 9 - 3 PM  @ St. Pius V Church, 1910 S. Ashland Ave.

Persons with a Medicare card should present the card. For information about other clinic locations, please call 311.



Upcoming Family Case Management Regional Meetings

The Illinois Department of Human Services is hosting a series of regional meetings to discuss the restructuring of Family Case Management services in Illinois.

All meetings will take place from 9am – 1pm and individuals are invited to attend one or all of the following meetings:

Monday, November 24th
DuPage County Health Department
111 North County Farm Road in Wheaton

Tuesday, December 2nd
Bethel New Life
1140 N. Lamon Street in Chicago

Friday, December 5th
McLean County Health Department
200 West Front Street in Bloomington

Monday, December 8th
Illinois Dept of Transportation
Dirksen Parkway in Springfield

Tuesday, December 9th
Mt. Vernon Visitor's Center
200 Potomac Blvd in Mt. Vernon
IMCHC is collecting suggestions on how to improve Family Case Management services – please email Laura Leon with your ideas or call her at 312-491-8161x29



Donate Shoe Boxes to the Campaign to Save Our Babies

The Campaign to Save Our Babies is looking for donations of shoe boxes that are in good condition. We turn the donations into “Kindness Boxes” which will be used to collect suggestions for our upcoming “100 Intentional Acts of Kindness Towards Pregnant Women” social marketing campaign.

Please email Rebecca Holbrook or call her at 312-491-8161x23 with donations.



December 7th Christmas Bazaar to Benefit Campaign to Save Our Babies 

Rebecca Holbrook, Project Director for IMCHC’s project Campaign to Save Our Babies is hosting a Christmas Bazaar on Sunday, December 7th from 1pm-6pm at her home, 516 E. 32nd Street.

This year’s bazaar will benefit Campaign to Save Our Babies and will offer handmade hats, jewelry, ornaments and more. Please join us for food, drinks and fun! Homemade candy including toffee will also be available for purchase; to reserve your candy order or for more information, contact Rebecca at 312-567-0729 or 312-491-8161x24.
 

Archived Topics

Visit our newsletter archive to read about recently listed articles from past issues. Past topics include:

• Voter Registration Deadline
• Upcoming Voter Education Event
• Chicago Area Immunization Campaign Fall General Meeting

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Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership Community Planning Assembly

The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) hosted a statewide assembly in Springfield in March 2008. The assembly provided an opportunity for partners in children's mental health from across the state to network, hear from ICMHP grantees about their initiatives and meet as regional groups to discuss their children's mental health system.

ICMHP would like to invite you to attend a Community Planning Assembly in Springfield on October 29th or in DeKalb on November 13th. We will focus on building children’s mental health community partnerships. Each Assembly will include a panel of regional leaders in children’s mental health, including representatives from schools, Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health Regional Offices, early childhood, juvenile justice and families.

There is a registration fee of $20 that includes lunch. The fee will be waived for family members, who are encourage to attend. Space is limited.

To register, please email Ashleigh Kirk or contact her at 312-516-5567.
     


Illinois DocAssist – New Behavioral Health Consultation Services

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services recently sent a notice to providers notifying them of “Illinois DocAssist” a new behavioral health consultation service for primary care providers (PCPs) and clinicians that began on September 8th.  

Illinois DocAssist is designed to assist PCPs and clinicians in their assessment and treatment of children and youth with mental health or substance use problems. The hotline at 1-866-986-ASST (2778) is available for use at NO COST to PCPs and clinicians Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm, except holidays.

Illinois DocAssist offers the following:

•    Problem-based consultations to guide the mental health and substance abuse assessment of children and youth, and provide evidence-based treatment options including medication management strategies.
•    Education and technical assistance via Web-based clinical resources, office-based training workshops including access to, and training on, the use of screening tools and diagnostic aids, stepped-care algorithms to guide clinical decisions including when to treat and when to refer, training to PCPs, clinicians and clinic staff on ways to improve the integration of mental health and substance use assessment and treatment into the clinic routine.
•    Referral services to identify local community referral options for youngsters that cannot be managed in a primary care setting.
Visit HFS’s website to view the full memo.

States See Higher Medicaid Enrollment in Periods of Economic Downfall

Medicaid spending by states increased nationwide by 5.3% in FY08 and enrollment increased by 2.1% largely because of the continuing economic downturn. Most states have increased provider payments, but Nevada, New York, and South Carolina have cut physician and dentist payments because of budget shortfalls.

According to a separate previously-released analysis, a 1% increase in unemployment translates to an increase of one million in Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment, an increase of $3.4 billion in combined state and federal Medicaid spending, and an increase of 1.1 million in the uninsured population because many people who lose employer-sponsored coverage do not qualify for Medicaid.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – September 30, 2008

Illinois Appellate Court Upholds Temporary Injunction on Governor Blagojevich's FamilyCare Expansion

An Illinois appellate court recently ruled that Governor Rod Blagojevich did not have the authority to expand the state's FamilyCare program without approval from the General Assembly, upholding an earlier ruling that Blagojevich could not expand the program without approval from lawmakers.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – September 30, 2008

California Family Planning Program's Federal Funds Reduced Over Undocumented Count

California and the federal government are in a dispute over funding for the state's Medicaid-funded family planning program, which offers contraceptive services, counseling, education, prenatal care and sexually transmitted infection testing to about 1.7 million low-income residents annually.

The federal government is threatening to withhold federal funding if the state does not change the way it counts undocumented immigrants who use services and is imposing a 5% penalty until the state agrees to new rules on how to count such patients.  State officials say the new policy could create a $262 million deficit in the state budget. In addition, the state Department of Health Care Services would need to employ 2,800 additional workers to conduct the service eligibility checks, which could raise the state's costs by an estimated 40%.

A LA Times Editorial comments: “The Bush administration's "demand isn't just wasteful; it's duplicitous." According to the editorial, "Immigration is a responsibility of the federal government, not the state," and "the feds should be stepping up to pay the full costs for illegal immigrants." The editorial continues, "The presence of immigrants in California who lack the legal status to use many public services represents a dual failure on the part of the federal government: It has neither prevented illegal immigration nor enacted comprehensive immigration reform to resolve the conundrum within its borders."

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Women’s Health Policy Report – October 3, 2008, Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 6, 2008


Signed Financial Bailout Bill Includes Mental Health Parity Provisions

President Bush on Friday signed into law a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street firms that included mental health parity legislation (HR 1424).

The legislation would require group health plans of 51 or more employees to cover mental illnesses at the same level as physical ailments. It does not require the plans to offer such coverage but it must be equivalent if they do.

Physicians say by eliminating the restrictions of higher charges on treatments for mental illnesses and addictions, the new law will make it easier for patients with various conditions, such as depression, autism, schizophrenia, eating disorders and alcohol and drug addictions to seek treatment. According to federal health officials, about 113 million people in the US, including 82 million people who are enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans that are not affected by state regulation, will benefit from the new law.

According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, the mental health parity law will raise premiums by about two-tenths of 1%.
Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 6, 2008

Children Enrolled in Medicaid Have More Untreated Tooth Decay

Children covered by Medicaid between 1999 and 2004 were almost twice as likely to have untreated tooth decay. Fifteen percent of children in Medicaid had difficulty receiving dental care because the provider did not accept their insurance plan, compared with 2% of privately insured children.

Witnesses from several states testified at a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing that higher reimbursement rates, streamlined enrollment procedures and improved outreach programs have increased access to dental care for children covered by Medicaid.
Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 6, 2008

Philadelphia Inquirer Series Examines the Uninsured

Uncompensated hospital care has increased significantly in recent years, with emergency department (ED) patients routinely registering under false names. The Philadelphia Inquirer profiled a 27-year-old man suffering from elevated heart rate who requested that the paramedics not take him to the ED because of a lack of health insurance. According to the man, the paramedics encouraged him to leave all forms of ID with a friend and register under a false name. A director commented that “it’s a very sad reflection on our society that people feel that they would have to make up a name to go into the hospital.”

As part of the series, the article also profiled the lack of health insurance among home health aides, including a 51-year-old home health aide struggling with health costs and who has been denied medical assistance.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 6, 2008, Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 9, 2008


High Costs Lead Many to Forgo Cancer, Mental Health Treatment

Nearly 20% of Americans have problems paying their medical bills, according to a report in September from the Center for Studying Health System Change. The studies also found that hospitalizations for mental illnesses and suicides also increase when the economy falters, as people put off treatment "until it's too late".  

In addition, new analysis found that one in eight people with advanced cancer turned down recommended care because of the cost. Among patients with incomes under $40,000, one in four in advanced stages of the disease refused treatment.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 7, 2008, USA Today - October 12, 2008



Study Shows Link Between Children's Health, Parents' Income, Education Levels

A new state-by-state analysis finds that when mothers did not complete high school, the odds for infant mortality increased by 50%. Mississippi had the highest infant mortality rate at 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births and Massachusetts had the lowest rate at 4.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the study. Illinois’ infant mortality rate is 7.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.

As income levels increased, parents were more likely to report the health of their children as excellent, the study found.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 8, 2008



New Report Says that Medically Unnecessary Procedures Drive Rising Childbirth Costs

Childbirth is the top reason for hospitalization in the U.S., but there is a lack of scientific evidence that many costly, high-tech procedures used in maternity care are beneficial for most women, according to a new report “Evidence Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve” which was released by a group of research and advocacy organizations.

The report found that U.S. hospital charges for maternal and newborn care increased from $79 billion in 2005 to $86 billion in 2006. The report states that reducing use of expensive maternity techniques -- such as $2.5 billion spent annual on unnecessary c-sections -- and increasing low-cost approaches -- such as childbirth assistants -- would not only lower medical costs but also would improve women's and infants' health. According to a co-author of the report, the average hospital charge for an uncomplicated vaginal birth in 2005 was $7,000, compared with $16,000 for a complicated c-section.

The former president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who also served as a report reviewer said "very significant external forces," including "economic incentives" for hospitals and physicians to use certain procedures, contribute to the overuse of expensive medical technology in maternity care. He also said that some physicians also order unnecessary tests and procedures to protect against malpractice suits.

Report recommendations included reducing c-section rates, increasing the use of doulas and better educating women about the risks and benefits of procedures.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Women’s Health Policy Report – October 9, 2008

New Census Report Provides Detailed Geographic and Demographic Analysis of the Uninsured in the U.S.

The new Census report finds that about 16% of U.S. residents did not have health insurance in 2005, with Minnesota and Hawaii having the lowest uninsured rates in 2005 at 9.5% and 9.7%, respectively, followed by Wisconsin at 10.3%. The study also found Florida, New Mexico and Texas had the three highest rates of uninsured residents younger than age 65.

In addition, the report found that states have wide variances between racial-ethnic groups, with Mississippi and Texas having greater shares of uninsured Hispanic residents, while Montana and Oklahoma had higher rates of uninsured white residents.
Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 9, 2008

Employers Expected to Pass Increases in Health Insurance Costs to Employees

According to a recent report by Hewitt Associates, out-of-pocket health care costs are expected to increase by 10.1% from 2008 to 2009 to an average of $1,880, compared with a 7.8% premium increase; premium increases have grown by 10% or more in recent years.
A recent employer survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust found that 41% of those offering health benefits said they were very or somewhat likely to increase workers' drug expenses in 2009.

Many employers are hesitant to significantly increase health care premiums and instead are opting to increase the amount employees pay for out-of-pocket items such as deductibles and copayments, as a “fairer” way to distribute cost that also makes employees cognizant of the cost of health care.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 9, 2008

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Christmas Bazaar to Benefit Campaign to Save Our Babies
Sunday, December 7th
1pm-6pm
516 E. 32nd Street in Chicago
Contact Rebecca Holbrook at 312-491-8161x23 for more information

IMCHC Chicago Area Chapter Meeting
Wednesday, December 10th
1pm-3pm
Metropolitan Family Services
1 N. Dearborn, 10th Floor in Chicago
RSVP to Lilah Handler

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IMCHC’s Annual Meeting and Luncheon
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 N. Clark Street in Chicago
Contact Lilah Hander for more information

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