SHADAC News Archive - 2006

Midwest States Health Reform Summit Report now available
December 28, 2006
The report, "Universal Coverage:  The Role of Government in Health Care Reform," from the  November 14 Midwest States Health Reform Summit is now available for download.

Midwest States Health Reform Summit Podcasts now available
December 4, 2006
Podcasts of all speakers from this November 14 event are now available for listening.

Midwest States Health Reform Summit to be held in Minneapolis on Tuesday Nov. 14, 2006
October 19, 2006
Please save the date to join leaders in healthcare, business, community, and policy from throughout the Upper Midwest to discuss health systems reform. This forum will examine the traditional roles of the state and national governments, public and private sectors, and will explore recent policy initiatives.  Further information and registration

"Can we close the coverage gap?" article published in Minnesota Physician
October 19, 2006
Drs. Lynn Blewett and Kathleen Call have published "Can we close the coverage gap?  Minnesota's growing rate of uninsurance is a new reason for concern," in the September 2006 issue of Minnesota Physician.   Reprints are available for download or by request to shadac@umn.edu or 612-624-4802.

Summary of 2006 CPS Conference Call Available
September 12, 2006
The summary of the August 30 SHADAC conference call to discuss the release of the 2005 CPS data are now available. Download
SHADAC's CPS Center has a link to this document and additional related information

2005 CPS Data Available
August 29, 2006
The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2005 health insurance results, showing that number of uninsured in the U.S. rose by 1.3 million to 46.6 million . Press release and link to results

RWJF Releases Issue Brief on Uninsurance Estimates
August 29, 2006
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released a new issue brief, "Comparing Federal Government Surveys that Count Uninsured People in America." The issue brief, prepared by SHADAC researchers, is available for download. 
RWJF press release
Join us for our August 30 conference call to discuss the results (see August 21 news item).

2005 CPS Health Insurance Data Release
August 21, 2006
The CPS will release the health insurance coverage estimates from the 2005 data on August 29.  SHADAC will hold its annual conference call to discuss the new data, featuring Chuck Nelson from the Census Bureau.  All interested parties are invited to attend the call; please RSVP by e-mail or call 612-624-4802.

"The State of Kids' Coverage" Report Released
August 9, 2006
Today the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation kicked off the seventh annual Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign - a nationwide effort encouraging parents to enroll their eligible, uninsured children in Medicaid or SCHIP.  SHADAC researchers prepared a report showing that the percentage of uninsured kids in the U.S. has decreased since the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was approved by Congress in 1997.
Download the report
Covering Kids & Families web site

Back-to-School Campaign Conference Call on August 7
July 28, 2006
SHADAC analysts have prepared a report for Covering Kids & Families' 2006 Back-to-School Medicaid/SCHIP enrollment campaign.  SHADAC will host a conference call at 1:00 PM EDT,  Monday, August 7 to inform analysists of the data and methods used in this analysis. 
RSVP by e-mail or call 612-624-1566.
Download the invite

SHADAC Researchers publish in HSR
June 21, 2006
Recent analysis by SHADAC researchers critically reviews estimates of health insurance coverage available from different sources. 
More info

Schedule of SHADAC Presentations at AcademyHealth
June 21, 2006
SHADAC invites you to attend any of our presentations at the upcoming AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in Seattle, June 24-27.
Schedule of events

SHADAC Newsletter Released
May 31, 2006
SHADAC's most recent newsletter features information on recent and upcoming presentations and events.  Download the May 2006 newsletter

SHADAC Researchers Present at AAPOR
May 23, 2006
Several SHADAC researchers presented this past weekend at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, held May 19-21 in Montreal.
Visit SHADAC's presentation page for information and handout downloads.

Panel Discussion on May 5:  "The Coverage Gap"
May 2, 2006
A new report by researchers at SHADAC confirms that there is a significant gap in access to care between people who do and do not have health insurance coverage.  A free event, open to the public, called “The Coverage Gap,” will feature a panel discussion to address the findings and related policy issues from local and national perspectives.  The event will be held Friday, May 5, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM in Moos Tower room 2-530 on the University’s East Bank campus.
More information (pdf)
SHADAC's CTUW page

Cover the Uninsured Week report released: "The Coverage Gap."
April 26, 2006
Cover the Uninsured Week (CTUW) has released a report that reveals an unhealthy gap in access to care between those who have health insurance coverage and those who don't.  SHADAC conducted this analysis for CTUW.
Download the report
SHADAC's CTUW page

SHADAC to review Cover the Uninsured Week analysis on April 25.
April 18, 2006
The Cover the Uninsured Week (CTUW) national launch is scheduled for May 4th, 2006. For the fourth consecutive year SHADAC has completed an analysis using the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and we’ve also added an analysis of state level employer-sponsored insurance using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component (MEPS-IC) data.

Join us on April 25 at 1:00 EDT to discuss the methodology behind these analyses. RSVP by e-mail or call 612-624-4802.  PDF Invitation
SHADAC's CTUW page with background materials and report downloads (when available)  CTUW web site

Minnesota Releases Latest Report on Health Insurance Coverage
February 23, 2006
The Minnesota Department of Health has released detailed findings from the 2004 Minnesota Health Access Survey, with comparisons to the 2001 survey.  The full report and summary fact sheet are available for download.

SHADAC Announces New Web Site
January 31, 2006
Welcome to SHADAC's new web site!  Please take a few minutes to browse the site and/or view our brief presentation of the new navigation

HSR Special Issue Call for Papers
January 23, 2006
The Journal of Health Services Research invites papers and abstracts for consideration in a special issue on health services research to improve state health service delivery, access and practice with two goals: to inform state health policy and to advance the field of health services research.  SHADAC is working with HSR on this special issue and Dr. Lynn Blewett will serve as guest editor.  This is a great opportunity to highlight the great research and policy applications at the state level. Abstracts are due February 15.  More information is at the  HSR Call announcement.

AcademyHealth Interest Group Call for Papers
January 15, 2006
The State Health Research and Policy Interest Group is sponsoring a meeting at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in Seattle on June 24, 2006. The call for papers for this special interest group meeting is open now for papers focused on recent state-level research that emphasizes the unique challenges of working within a state policy and political environment. The deadline to submit abstracts is February 15, 2006.
AcademyHealth call for papers.

Dr. Blewett Presents on Immunization Rate Disparities
January 8, 2006
Dr. Lynn Blewett presented presented “Racial Disparities in Childhood Immunization Rates:
Empirical Evidence, Analysis of Determinants and Policy Implications” at the National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health.  This presentation was chosen from more than 500 submitted abstracts, and the conference is attended by over 2000 people.  The summit is sponsored by the Office of Minority Health.  Conference web site.