News Briefs

Two Kaiser issue briefs on Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers: For many years, Section 1115 Medicaid waivers have been used by states to test coverage approaches not allowed under Medicaid rules. Since the passage of health reform, several states have obtained waivers to expand coverage to low-income adults in preparation for expansions under reform, whereas other states have expressed interest in waivers to address budget shortfalls by reducing Medicaid costs. Two new briefs from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured focus on waivers. The first, an eight-page brief titled Five Key Questions and Answers About Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waivers, provides an overview of what waivers are, how they are approved and financed, and how they are affected by health reform (www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/8196.pdf). A 12-page brief, California's “Bridge to Reform” Medicaid Demonstration Waiver, describes the waiver approved last year that will make up to approximately $8 billion in federal Medicaid matching funds available to California over five years to expand coverage to low-income uninsured adults and preserve and improve the county-based safety net (www.kff.org/medicaid/8197.cfm).

SAMHSA data show strong link between mental illness and alcohol dependence: Data from the 2009 National Survey of Drug Use and Health indicate that alcohol dependence is four times more likely among adults with mental illnesses than adults without these disorders (9.6% versus 2.2%). The data also show that the rate of alcohol dependence increases as the severity of the mental illness increases. For example, although 7.9% of persons with mild mental illness were alcohol dependent, according to survey data, the rates were 10.0% and 13.2% among those with moderate and serious mental illness, respectively. The “Data Spotlight” report is available on the Web site of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at oas.samhsa.gov.

AHRQ guide helps consumers keep track of medications: Three out of four Americans are not following their physician's advice when it comes to taking prescription medication. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Council on Patient Information and Education have released a new guide to help patients learn more about how to take medicines safely. Your Medicines: Be Smart. Be Safe is a booklet that includes a detachable, wallet-sized card to help patients keep track of all their medications. Available in English and Spanish, the guide includes questions for patients to ask their physicians. The guide and related materials are available on the AHRQ site at www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemeds/yourmeds.htm.

Kaiser series explores health reform and the private insurance market: The Kaiser Family Foundation has launched a series of short notes to help explain implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the private health insurance market. “Notes on Health Insurance and Reform” will feature posts that clarify complex regulatory and insurance topics, provide context for ongoing policy debates, and foreshadow significant implementation challenges. The series is part of the new Kaiser Initiative on Health Reform and Private Insurance, which examines implications of changes in the private insurance market under reform to help policy makers implement provisions of the new law. Initial posts address such topics as recent changes to the high-risk pool program and why consumers may need help with the financial aspects of buying coverage through the health insurance exchanges (healthreform.kff.org).