Blogs / Reports
FEATURED ARTICLE
Lessons from Rhode Island: How to Effectively Blend, Braid, and Use Block Grant Funds to Improve Public Health
/in Policy Rhode Island Annual Conference, Blogs Accountable Health, Blending and Braiding Funding, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Equity, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Chris KukkaWhen Rhode Island health policymakers read the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy People 2010 report, they realized their children’s generation could face a shorter life expectancy than their own unless they changed their approach to public health. In response, Department of Health officials doubled down on their commitment to address health disparities […]
Learn How States Can Blend, Braid, and Use Block Grant Funds to Promote Public Health
/in Policy Reports Accountable Health, Blending and Braiding Funding, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Equity, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP StaffAs federal officials hint at overwhelming changes in how state health programs will be funded in the future, policymakers are strategizing how to reconfigure their programs to take advantage of the promised brave new world of flexibility and realigned funding. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), the de Beaumont Foundation, and the Association […]
States Drive Innovations in Quality Measurement and Improvement for Children with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by Anisha Agrawal and Becky NormileChildren and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) are a diverse population whose health care needs and costs often exceed those of most children. Improving care for this population is critical, yet challenging, due to the complexity of conditions of some children, and the multitude of systems (e.g., health, education, social services) and supports […]
Frequently Asked Questions about the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
/in Policy Reports CHIP, CHIP, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health /by NASHP Staff*Updated December 2017 The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was enacted in 1997 under Title XXI of the Social Security Act and has since provided critical health coverage to children in families with low to moderate incomes. In federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016,[1] more than 8.9 million children were enrolled in CHIP.[2] This fact sheet […]
December Is the Most Critical Month Yet for States’ CHIP Funding
/in Policy Blogs CHIP, CHIP, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health /by Maureen Hensley-QuinnCongressional inaction in funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has put states – and the children and families CHIP covers– in a cliffhanger scenario. While there have been encouraging legislative steps taken to extend the program, the bill currently appears to be stalled. With the help of temporary, reallocated CHIP funding, states are continuing […]
Lessons from Project LAUNCH: Promoting Healthy Child Development through Behavioral Health Integration and Mental Health Consultation Where Children Live, Learn, and Grow
/in Policy Blogs Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health /by Becky NormileThe first few years of life are critical to a child’s development, setting the foundation for success in school and overall health and well-being later in life. Recent research proves that providing early, skilled behavioral and mental health interventions in venues where young children and their families live and play is highly effective at improving […]
What’s a State to Do? A New Series Helps States Navigate a Rapidly-Changing Federal Landscape
/in Policy Blogs CHIP, CHIP, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP WritersIntroduction by NASHP Executive Director Trish Riley In a period of change and uncertainty at the federal level, states are on the front line, searching for firm footing and clear direction as they responsibly steward their public programs, protect their consumers, and balance state budgets. When the federal government stopped funding cost sharing reductions (CSR) […]
States Share Data to Improve the Health of People Living with HIV
/in Policy Alaska, Louisiana, Maryland Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, HIV/AIDS, Long-Term Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Quality and Measurement /by Natalie Williams and Rachel DonlonVirologic Suppression occurs when the amount of HIV in the blood is lowered to below 200 copies per milliliter or undetectable levels.PLWH are more likely to achieve and maintain virologic suppression when they have access to high-quality, coordinated and comprehensive care, antiretroviral therapy, and support services. A substantial body of research shows that virally-suppressed people […]
State Health Officials Share How They Apply Evidence to Policymaking
/in Policy Annual Conference, Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by Felicia HeiderState health officials crowded into a NASHP annual health policy conference room recently to discuss how to identify and use evidence to inform policymaking in their home states. The day-long conference, entitled Using Evidence to Inform Policymaking and supported by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), explored the challenges state leaders face as they work to apply data and […]
States Work to Improve Care for Children with Special Health Needs with Quality Measurement
/in Policy Michigan, New York, Texas Reports Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing /by Anisha Agrawal, Becky Normile and Karen VanLandeghemImproving the quality of care that children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) receive is a growing priority for state Medicaid programs. However, many quality improvement efforts are in their infancy as states work to overcome the challenges of measuring and assessing care quality for this vulnerable population. NASHP, with support from the […]
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
States’ COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declarations and Mask Requirements
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Charts, Featured News Home, Maps COVID-19, Featured Policy Home, Health Equity, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP Staff and Ella Roth