All States/Territories

The Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) held a briefing to examine the challenges facing states as they continue to struggle with the lingering impacts of the recession and begin preparing to implement health reform. Find links to three reports released at the event, archived presentations, video, podcast, transcript, agenda and more.

To better understand the dynamics of the workforce challenges that factor in to the implementation of health reform, an initiative was undertaken to examine the situation in five states (Connecticut, Michigan, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Washington). These states represented a range of geographic and political experiences as they continued to struggle with the lingering impacts of the recession and began preparing to implement health reform. Six key findings are summarized.

What specific provisions in the new law pertain to rural health care? This briefing looked at current health care policy initiatives pertaining to rural issues, with a special focus on information technology, and the opportunities and challenges that the reform implementation presents. Review the briefing's archived webcast, podcast, presentations, transcript and source materials.

Use this health literacy toolkit to make written material in printed formats easier for people to understand and use. Though the main focus is on material intended for use by individuals eligible or enrolled in programs, the guidelines also apply to material created for people who serve or assist them. The toolkit has 11 parts, including guidelines for writing and design, methods for testing with readers, and guidelines for translation.

The ADRC program’s purpose is to help people of all ages, disabilities, and income levels more easily access LTSS through single points of entry, make more efficient use of care options, and maximize the services available. This publication provides background on the evolution of ADRCs, their functions and implementation, grants to states, and state and federal evaluation efforts. It also points to selected issues in continuing ADRC implementation.

By 2032, there will be more people 65 or older than children under 15, according to this report. The shift toward an older population has enormous economic, social and political implications. The authors provide a framework for thinking about each trend, and comparative perspectives on changes over time and across age groups, and the unexpected ways in which these changes may unfold.

A Geriatric Care Manager can maximize independence and autonomy for care recipients while supporting families and caregivers. This resource discusses the various roles that this professional can play. A number of useful technologies are also suggested, including web-conferencing, monitoring and assistive devices. According to the author, despite the costs of these technologies, keeping older adults in their homes is still less expensive than placement in nursing homes.

Wisconsin was one of four state based projects authorized by the SSA to begin testing a proposed benefit offset feature for the SSDI program. The pilot program was able to organize and implement its activities much as had been planned, however there were serious implementation problems at the Social Security Administration, according to this report which presents findings from both a process evaluation and the analysis of participant employment related outcomes.

The percentage of individuals with disabilities in the federal government has not increased since 1994, according to this report. Read highlights of a forum where participants, by prioritizing practices offered by subject matter experts, identified eight steps that agencies could take to help the federal government become a model employer for people with disabilities.

DB101 provides online tools, resources and information on health coverage, work and benefits for people with disabilities and those supporting them. Four states (California, Minnesota, Michigan and New Jersey) have their own sites, which include benefits calculators to help individuals understand how a job may affect total income and health coverage, or whether they may qualify for specific state programs. The resource is a product of the Employment and Disability Benefits Initiative.