Managed Healthcare Executive - November 2008 - (Page 8)

State Report Arizona COMMONWEALTH FUND STATE PERFORMANCE RANKING (2007): 26 CMS WILL LAUNCH AN online personal health record (PHR) pilot program for Medicare bene ciaries in Arizona and Utah in January as part of an ongoing effort by the Bush administration to encourage use of healthcare information technology. Under the program, the PHRs will include as much as two years of Medicare data. Medicare bene ciaries will have the ability to add information to their PHRs and share them with physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare providers. A measure that would prohibit enactment of any law in Arizona that requires people to obtain health coverage appeared on the November ballot. Proposition 101 would forbid any Arizona law that “restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private healthcare systems or private plans of any type.” In addition, the initiative would bar any state law that would require people to contribute to healthcare programs for refusing to participate. The outcome of the vote was unknown at presstime. The Arizona legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano have eliminated a temporary medical coverage program to save about $8.35 million as the state tries to reduce a $2 billion scal year 2008-2009 budget de cit. The program, which ended July 15, provided temporary healthcare coverage for people who are ineligible for Medicare or the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Medicare requires people to wait two years after receiving a disability determination before enrolling in the program. The Arizona initiative was designed to assist people with disabilities during that period by allowing them to pay a premium to gain coverage through AHCCCS. CULTURAL GROUPS ARIZONA Number of residents: 6.3 million Uninsured: 20% Healthcare Expenditures (2004): $23.6 billion Average Annual Percent Growth in Expenditures per Capita (1991-2004): 4% Healthcare Expenditures per Capita: $4,103 American Indians have a higher rate of stroke than other groups, which can be attributed to a high prevalence of diabetes, according to a study to be published in Circulation. The report is the rst to detail stroke prevalence and risk factors for American Indians. American Indi- ans’ mortality rate after a rst stroke was 32%, nearly 1.5 times higher than the rates in African Americans or whites. Banner Page Hospital has introduced a number of measures to reach out to patients from a nearby Navajo reservation. Some native Americans distrust modern medicine and providers’ lack of understanding of their culture. To combat that, the 25-bed hospital has incorporated some American Indian traditions, such as making sure the newly renovated emergency department entrance faces the east, where the Navajo believe life originates. The hospital also provides a traditional Navajo “dwelling place” to conduct ceremonies and incorporate the work of medicine men. Hospital meals now include some traditional Navajo foods. MHE MHE Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Urban Institute; Kaiser Family Foundation; U.S. Census Bureau; The Commonwealth Fund. DISTRIBUTION OF EXPENDITURES, 2004 (IN MILLIONS) Hospital Care $8,499 (36%) Physician/Professional Services $67,787 (33%) Drugs/Medical Nondurables $3,378 (14%) Dental Services $1,457 (6%) Nursing Home Care $1,023 (4%) Home Healthcare $656 (3%) Medical Durables $422 (2%) Other Personal Healthcare $354 (2%) Total $23,576 8 NOVEMBER 2008 2% Medical Durables 2% Other 3% Home Healthcare Nursing Home SOURCES OF COVERAGE, 2005-2006 Employer 48% 4% 6% Dental Uninsured 20% 14% Drugs 36% Hospital Care Medicaid Medicare Individual Other Public 16% 12% 4% 1% 33% Physician/ Professional Services

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managed Healthcare Executive - November 2008

Managed Healthcare Executive - November 2008 For Your Benefit Editorial Advisors Contents News Analysis State Report Politics &�Policy Letter of the Law Affordable Access Economic Ripple Effect Hospitals &�Providers Technology Managed Care Outlook Desktop Resource Ad/Edit Index

Managed Healthcare Executive - November 2008

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