|
CKSN Update for January 1, 2004 |
|
CKSN UPDATE for January 1, 2004 ABC for Health, Inc. IN THIS ISSUE: HAPPY NEW YEAR! 1. Case Tip: Assets and Medicaid Eligibility 2. National Council on Disabilities' Youth Advisory Committee Seeking New Members 3. Access to Specialty Medical Care for Children with Mental Retardation, Autism, and other Special Needs 4. Orientation to Best Practices in Birth to 3 Training Offered 5. HHS issues National Reports on Quality and Disparities in the use of Health Care Services 6. HHS Urges Family Caregivers to Look After Themselves as Well as Their Loved Ones 7. HealthWatch Updates 1. CASE TIP: ASSETS AND MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY In certain Medicaid programs, the assets of the family or of the child can be one of the barriers to Medicaid eligibility. Some of the Medicaid programs that evaluate assets are SSI, Katie Beckett, Medically Needy for the disabled and aged, and MAPP. BadgerCare and Healthy Start base eligibility on income, but assets are never evaluated. The misconception of what constitutes an asset often causes families never to apply for Medicaid. A common misconception is the value of the family's home. Other families are certain the assets connected with their family business or farm, such as a pickup truck and property will exclude them from Medicaid eligibility. Simply stated, a family's house, if they live there, the land connected to the house and the usual items in the house are not considered to be assets evaluated for Medicaid eligibility. Assets, as part of a business, are not evaluated, but those same items if not part of the business, may count as an asset. An example of this would be a pickup truck or valuable animals. If a family applies for Medicaid and is denied due to excess assets, it is very important for the family to know which specific assets are in excess and by how much. Families with excess assets may be able to redistribute their assets to ensure Medicaid eligibility. For example using excess cash to pay down the mortgage on your home. Asset issues can get very complicated and you may need the help of a Health Benefits Counselor or Attorney before you redistribute any assts to ensure you follow state law. 2. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITIES' YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE SEEKING NEW MEMBERS The committee provides advice to the National Council on Disability (NCD) on various issues such as NCD's planning and priorities. NCD is seeking this type of input in order to make sure NCD's activities and policy recommendations respond to the needs of youth with disabilities. NCD's Youth Advisory Committee was established as a non-paid advisory body to include youth and young adult perspectives in carrying out the mission of NCD. Any interested parties, high school or beyond, ages 16 - 25 years, please send cover letter, resume, and letter of recommendation directly to NCD by January 15, 2004: Dr. Gerrie Hawkins, 1331 F Street, NW Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004; E-mail: ghawkins@ncd.gov; Any questions feel free to contact Rebecca Hare (rhare54@aol.com) or Isaac Huff (I_Huff@superaleja.org) about the application process. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/youth/youth.html 3. ACCESS TO SPECIALTY MEDICAL CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH MENTAL RETARDATION, AUTISM, AND OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS (PDF from the American Association of Mental Retardation) Over a third of children with autism, over a fifth with mental retardation, and over a fifth with other types of special health care needs had problems obtaining needed care from specialty doctors in the preceding year, according to a national survey of 2,220 families of children with special health care needs in 20 states. Results from this study have been published in the October 2003 issue of the journal, Mental Retardation. The most common problems included getting referrals and finding providers with appropriate training. Children with unstable health conditions, autism, or those whose parent was in poor health were at greater risk for problems. Available in PDF (11 pages). http://www.aamr.org/Reading_Room/pdf/MR_Oct03article.pdf 4. ORIENTATION TO BEST PRACTICES IN BIRTH TO 3 TRAINING OFFERED The next regional "Orientation to Best Practices in Birth to 3" training will take place in the Southern Region on Wednesday, January 21st from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Dodgeville, WI. Previous trainings have been well received by parents, Birth to 3 providers, early education and child care providers, and other partners in the community. Topics include: Overview of Wisconsin's Birth to 3 Program; Birth to 3 Guiding Principles; Family Centered Care; Natural Environments; Evaluation and Eligibility; IFSP and Outcomes; Birth to 3 Law; and Health Care and Other Resources. This training is sponsored by the Wisconsin Personnel Development Project and Birth to 3 RESource with funding from the Department of Health and Family Services, Birth to 3 Program, and Wisconsin FACETS. Continuing education credits are available for those interested. Please see the attached link for cost and registration materials. http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/birthto3/ORIENTATION.HTML 5. HHS issues National Reports on Quality and Disparities in the use of Health Care Services HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today released two reports that represent the first national comprehensive effort to measure the quality of health care in America and differences in access to health care services for priority populations. The reports, National Healthcare Quality Report and the National Healthcare Disparities Report, provide baseline views of the quality of health care and differences in use of the services. Future reports will help the nation make continuous improvements by tracking quality through a consistent set of measures that will be updated as new measures and data become available. The reports point to an important priority for HHS to ensure that all Americans have the safest, highest-quality health care services possible available to them when needed. They were prepared by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as directed by Congress. The reports present data on the quality of, and differences in the access to, services for seven clinical conditions, including cancer, diabetes, end-stage renal disease, heart disease, HIV and AIDS, mental health, and respiratory disease. The reports also include data on maternal and child health, nursing home and home health care, and patient safety. The reports are available on a new Web site, http://www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov. The site serves as a Web-based clearinghouse to make it easier for health care providers, health plans, policymakers, purchasers, patients and consumers to take effective steps to improve quality. Print copies of the reports also can be obtained by calling 1-800-358-9295 or by e-mailing ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov. (Source: Inclusion Research Institute) 6. HHS Urges Family Caregivers to Look After Themselves as Well as Their Loved Ones Family caregivers are a critical source of care to people with disabilities and chronic health problems. One study found that the unpaid and informal care that the family caregivers provided in 2000 was estimated at about $257 billion. Caring for a family member with a disability or chronic condition pose significant health risks and can contribute to physical and mental health problems affecting caregivers. In one long-term care survey, sponsored by HHS, about a third of caregivers described their own health as "fair to poor." Other recent research findings suggest that stress associated with family caregiving can result in increased risks of infectious diseases, such as colds and flu, depressive symptoms, and chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Family caregiving, when accompanied by emotional strain, has also been found to be an independent risk factor for mortality among older adults. HHS is spearheading several efforts that provide support to family caregivers nationwide. Its Administration on Aging (AoA) runs the National Family Caregiver Support Program, which provides information about available services; assistance in accessing supportive services; individual counseling, support groups and caregiver training; respite care including in-home care, adult day services or short stay in a nursing home; and supplemental services, on a limited basis, to complement caregivers' efforts. The program was launched in February 2001. HHS has also worked with states to promote consumer-directed care options through the Medicaid program. This approach can provide resources to help beneficiaries remain in their homes and allows family caregivers of all ages to arrange the services they need when they want them. AoA supports a national, toll-free Eldercare Locator, which can help identify local service providers to help those needing assistance in caring for their loved one, relatives, or friends. The Eldercare Locator can be reached at 1-800-677-1116 or at http://www.eldercare.gov. Caregiver information can also be found at http://www.aoa.gov/caregivers (Source: Inclusion Research Institute) 7. HEALTHWATCH UPDATES The next meeting of the SOUTHERN REGION will be held on Monday, January 5 from 9 - 11 am at the Harambee Center, Madison Community Health Center, 2202 South Park Street in Madison. The presenter will be Bill Greer, administrator at the Mental Health Center of Dane County. Access to psychiatric care will be the topic. If you are interested in joining your regional HealthWatch committee, or want more information about their work, please contact the following people: Southern Region: Barbara Katz, ABC for Health, Inc., 608.261.6939 ext 207, barbk@safetyweb.org Southeastern Region: Brad Holman, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, 414.266.3189, bholman@chw.org or Brad Montgomery, 414.449.4777, opwindows@aol.com Northern Region: Deb Blackstone, Family Resource Connection, 715.365.8030, dblacks@shsmh.org Northeastern Region: Steve Gerczak, St. Vincent Hospital, 920.433.8154, sgerczak@stvgb.org Western Region: Rose Marsh, Chippewa County Dept of Public Health, 1-800-400-3678, rmarsh@co.chippewa.wi.us +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SUGGESTIONS OR TIPS FOR THE UPDATE? We need your help to develop content and tips for our CKSN Update. Please let us know about your ideas or success stories. Email your suggestions to barbk@safetyweb.org The CKSN Update is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter of the Covering Kids with Special Needs project that ABC for Health, Inc. is implementing with its partners, the Title V Children with Special Needs Regional Centers and Family Voices - Wisconsin. If you would like to submit news and information in future CKSN Updates, please send it to the attention of Barbara Katz. All submissions should be limited to 150 words. ABC for Health is a Wisconsin-based, nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to linking children and families, particularly those with special health care needs, to health care benefits and services. ABC for Health's mission is to provide information, advocacy tools, legal services and expert support needed to obtain, maintain and finance health care coverage and services. Barbara Katz, moderator Parent Consultant ABC for Health, Inc. 608.261.6939 ext. 207 barbk@safetyweb.org