CHIP(PING) AWAY AT COST AND INEQUALITY
An observational study comparing uninsured Medicaid/CHIP-eligible minority children to those who became insured showed large health access and quality gains for the insured group. Children who gained insurance were far more likely to acquire a primary care provider from whom they received both preventive and sick care. Insurance saved $2,886 per insured child per year by reducing hospitalizations and parental work day absences. CHIP’s extension in 2018 could potentially save $8.7–$10.1 billion annually by providing health insurance to all Medicaid/CHIP-eligible uninsured children.
SAVING MONEY AND SAVING LIVES BY TREATING OPIOID USERS
California has the largest number of persons with opioid use disorder in the United States. Yet regulations for publicly-funded treatment facilities in California block access to medication treatment and limit treatment duration—the best hope to avoid overdose. This study, using computer models, shows clearly that offering immediate access to methadone treatment for interested opioid users would have greater health benefits and be less costly ($78,257 per person) than the current standard of care in California. California legislators can change these regulations that limit treatment and use funds from the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 to address the opioid epidemic while saving taxpayers money almost immediately.
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BARRIERS TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
Data from the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll indicates that millions of Americans skip needed mental health care. The reasons people decided to forgo treatment are instructive. The most common explanation given by respondents had to do with cost and insurance barriers. But almost as many people reported they were too afraid and embarrassed to get help or they didn’t know where to go. These results make it clear that solving the cost problem won’t necessarily increase access to care unless stigma around mental health is removed. —Gilbert Benavidez, PHP Fellow
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: April 2016, Jamie Firth, Ashley Kirzinger, and Mollyann Brodie.
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