Economic & Social Research Institute: PAGE

NEW —Medicaid Responsiveness, Health Coverage, and Economic Resilience: A Preliminary Analysis, by Stan Dorn (Economic and Social Research Institute), Barbara Markham Smith (Health Policy Innovation, Inc.), and Bowen Garrett (Urban Institute), September 27, 2005. Prepared for The Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, this report examines Medicaid's responsiveness to changes in the economy, identifying possible dangers that could result from caps on Medicaid spending or enrollment.

NEW — Limited Take-Up of Health Coverage Tax Credits and the Design of Future Tax Credits for the Uninsured, by Stan Dorn (Economic and Social Research Institute), Janet Varon (Northwest Health Law Advocates), and Fouad Pervez (Economic and Social Research Institute), October 2005. Prepared for the Commonwealth Fund, this report analyzes the federal tax credits that were created as part of the Trade Act of 2002 to subsidize health coverage for certain early retirees and workers displaced by international trade. Though small, this relatively new program offers the opportunity to learn how to design future tax credits for larger groups of uninsured.The report is available in two forms—an issue brief and a longer research report. For the issue brief, click here. For the research report, click here.

Community-Based Oral Health Programs: Lessons Learned from Three Innovative Models, by Sharon Silow-Carroll and Tanya Alteras, July 2005. Prepared for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. A case study report examining community-based initiatives intended to improve the oral health of vulnerable populations. This report highlights three successful and innovative initiatives: The Washington State ABCD and ABCD”E” program, The Apple Tree Dental program in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Community DentCare in Northern Manhattan. In addition, it describes the lessons learned and the challenges these communities faced in developing pathways for underserved populations to access oral health care.

States in Action: A Quarterly Look at Innovations in Health Policy, by Sharon Silow-Carroll and Tanya Alteras. A newsletter recently inaugurated by the Commonwealth Fund to identify and describe innovative state programs across the country. The first issue (May 2005) highlights strategies for purchasing care, building on employer-based coverage, and expanding county-based coverage. Future issues will examine efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of care and continue to spotlight strategies to expand coverage.

Early Implementation of the Health Coverage Tax Credit in Maryland, Michigan, and North Carolina: A Case Study Summary, by Stan Dorn, Tanya Alteras, and Jack A. Meyer, April 2005. Prepared for The Commonwealth Fund. A summary report of studies in three states that achieved above-average results enrolling potentially eligible individuals into Health Coverage Tax Credits (HCTCs) available for certain displaced workers and early retirees. This overview report finds both significant accomplishments and serious problems, recommending a number of program reforms. The individual state reports are also available as follows:

Towards Incremental Progress: Key Facts About Groups of Uninsured, by Stan Dorn, September 2004, prepared for the California Health Care Foundation. A fact sheet book providing key statistics and identifying crucial policy design questions for eight groups of uninsured who could potentially become the subject of incremental health reform: employees of small business; workers who lose their jobs; workers who are offered but decline employer coverage; low-income parents; low-income, childless adults; the near-elderly; young adults; children; and immigrants. Each fact sheet includes full citations and internet links to diverse sources.

Medicaid and Other Public Programs for Low-Income Childless Adults: An Overview of Coverage in Eight States, August 2004, by Stan Dorn, Sharon Silow-Carroll, Tanya Alteras, Heather Sacks, and Jack A. Meyer. Prepared for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. A summary report of studies of eight states that implemented either Medicaid waivers or state-only funding to provide health coverage to adults who were neither elderly, disabled, pregnant, or currently parenting dependent children. Without a waiver, Medicaid programs are forbidden from covering such childless adults, no matter how poor they are.The individual state reports are also available as follows:

Stretching State Health Care Dollars During Difficult Economic Times: Overview. By Sharon Silow-Carroll and Tanya Alteras, October 2004. Providing health insurance coverage for vulnerable populations—low-income, high-risk individuals with limited access to health care—is a challenge for states even in good economic times. But the past few years have been especially arduous. Higher private insurance premiums and tepid labor markets have swelled the ranks of the uninsured and underinsured. Budgetary-crisis conditions, meanwhile, have limited states' discretion, often obliging them to cut existing programs. Nevertheless, many states have managed to implement innovative strategies: they have stretched health care dollars by using a portion of state money to leverage private, federal, and additional state funds. These states have expanded health care access, coverage, and efficiency through sound financial management—by judiciously investing a little to gain a lot. This overview report summarizes a series of four reports identifying innovative state efforts to enhance access to care, coverage, and efficiency in health care spending. The four reports are:

Hospital Quality: Ingredients for Success — Overview and Lessons Learned. By Jack A. Meyer, Sharon Silow-Carroll, Todd Kutyla, Larry S. Stepnick, and Lise S. Rybowski, July 2004. Hospitals across the country are searching for ways to improve quality of care and promote effective quality improvement strategies. This research study identifies and describes the key factors that contributed to the success of four high-performing hospitals across the country. Essential elements of a successful strategy include developing the right culture, attracting and retaining the right people, devising and updating the right in-house processes, and giving staff the right tools to do the job. External influences, such as local market competition and public or private health quality initiatives and standards, also have an impact. Through information gleaned from site visits and in-depth interviews with these high-performing hospitals, the study assesses quality drivers, internal processes, and challenges, and offers guidance and actions steps to help hospitals move in the right direction. Prepared for the Commonwealth Fund. The full case studies of the four hospitals discussed in this overview report are also available:

Community Voices: Lessons for National Health Policy Summary. By Jack A. Meyer, Sharon Silow-Carroll, Emily Waldman, February 2004. Improving access to health care for vulnerable populations continues to be a challenge. This policy brief highlights some promising models developed by the 13 Community Voices communities to fill the gap in health services, link people to coverage and care, and develop new community relationships and skills. Prepared for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Community Voices program.

Community-Based Health Coverage Programs: Models and Lessons. By Sharon Silow-Carroll, Tanya Alteras, Heather Sacks, February 2004. With no major national policy intervention to expand insurance coverage and strengthen the safety net on the short-term horizon, the ability of communities to address this growing crisis is critical. This report highlights some community initiatives around the country are developing workable models of coverage that combine access to a set of health services with effective care management and outreach to vulnerable populations. This is a Community Voices policy brief, released by the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Visit the Community Voices web site to order a free hard copy.

How Can National Policymakers Improve Health Coverage Tax Credits Provided under the Trade Act of 2002? by Stan Dorn, May 2004. On May 4, 2004, 54 Senators in both parties voted for an amendment that would have made significant changes to Health Coverage Tax Credits (HCTC), as part of a much broader adjustment to the country's Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. However, because 60 votes were needed to overcome a budget-related point of order, the amendment failed. Today's report summarizes the amendment but goes beyond it to identify many other options for change, along with each alternative's advantages and disadvantages. Between 200,000 and 300,000 workers and their families qualify for HCTCs. Eligible groups include both unemployed workers displaced by international trade and early retirees receiving payments from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. HCTCs pay 65 percent of health insurance premiums for qualified health insurance, which consists primarily of COBRA coverage offered by former employers and state-arranged, private health insurance.

Health Coverage Tax Credits Under the Trade Act of 2002, by Stan Dorn and Todd Kutyla of ESRI, prepared for the Commonwealth Fund and the Nathan Cummings Foundation, April 1, 2004. This new report analyzes the initial effects of the Health Coverage Tax Credits program created by the 2002 Trade Act. Just 3.6% of 235,000 potentially eligible workers—a total of 8,400—were enrolled at the end of 2003 in the program’s system for advancing tax credits to insurers when monthly premiums are due. The authors say that the precise causes of this low rate of uptake are unclear, as is its future persistence. Barriers to enrollment that may need to be addressed include premiums that appear to be too high for many unemployed workers, even with a tax credit, and requirements that laid-off workers “front” one or more months of premiums in full before the advance tax credit kicks in.The authors also praise federal officials for establishing, more rapidly and broadly than many observers thought would be possible, a novel and generally effective federal and state infrastructure for administering this complex program. The full report and an issue brief version, as well as the press release, are available in PDF format.

Reaching Out: Successful Efforts to Provide Children and Families With Health Care. Prepared for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Stephanie Anthony, Heather Sacks and Jack A. Meyer. June 2002. This report presents a menu of approaches to enroll “hard-to-reach” populations into public coverage programs. It also presents public policies that help and hinder the community efforts, along with policy recommendations geared to facilitate community-based enrollment in and retention of health coverage. An inventory of resources (websites, reports, newsletters) is included that is geared toward policymakers and community workers. This report features examples of the work being done at the 13 Community Voices sites.

Building Quality into RIte Care: How Rhode Island is Improving Health Care for its Low Income Populations. Prepared for the Commonwealth Fund by Sharon Silow-Carroll. January 2003. This report details Rhode Island’s efforts to incorporate quality improvements into its public insurance programs. By making quality improvement a central feature of RIte Care, state officials believe they could achieve better health for its residents as well as lower health costs in the long run.

Assessing State Strategies for Health Coverage Expansion: Profiles of Arkansas, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Utah and Vermont. Prepared for the Commonwealth Fund by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Emily Waldman, Heather Sacks and Jack A. Meyer. February 2003. This report examines the experiences of six states that have made significant progress in health coverage expansion. The main goals of the project are to determine the key factors that appear essential for success and whether common themes and lessons would emerge from of a review of the experiences of these states.

Expanding Health Insurance Coverage: Creative State Solutions for Challenging Times.
Prepared for the Commonwealth Fund by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Emily Waldman, Heather Sacks and Jack A. Meyer. January 2003. This paper summarizes lessons from case studies of coverage expansions in 10 states and the final reports of the 20 initial states to receive HRSA state planning grants to determine innovative practices that lay the groundwork for future expansions.

Assessing State Strategies for Health Coverage Expansion: Case Studies of Oregon, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Georgia. Sharon Silow-Carrol, Emily K. Waldman, Jack A. Meyer, Claudia Williams, Kimberley Fox and Joel C. Cantor. For The Commonwealth Fund, November 2002. Click to access the summary or the full report.

Journal Articles

Jack A. Meyer and Sharon Silow-Carroll. “Building on the Job-Based Health Care System: What Would it Take?” Health Affairs, web exclusive. August 2003.

Jack A. Meyer. “Improving Men’s Health: Developing a Long-Term Strategy.” American Journal of Public Health. May 2003. Vol. 93, No. 5. pp. 709-711.Jack, A. Meyer and Elliot K. Wicks. "A Federal Tax Credit to Encourage Employers to Offer Health Coverage," Inquiry, Vol 38. No. 2, Summer 2001.

Mark A. Hall, Elliot K. Wicks, and Janice S. Lawlor, "MARKETWATCH: HealthMarts, HIPCs, MEWAs, And AHPs: A Guide For The Perplexed," Health Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 1, January/February 2001.

Elliot K. Wicks and Mark A. Hall, "Purchasing Cooperatives for Small Employers: Performance and Prospects," The Milbank Quarterly, Vol. 78, No. 4, 2000.

Elliot K. Wicks and Jack A. Meyer, "Making Report Card Word," Health Affairs, Vol. 18, No. 2, March/April 1999.

Reports

Business Initiatives to Expand Health Coverage for Workers in Small Firms—Volume 1, Overview and Lessons Learned, and Volume 2, Four Case Studies, (October 2001). Prepared for the Commonwealth Fund by Jack A. Meyer and Lise S. Rybowski. This report weighs the problems and prospects of purchasing coalitions formed by larger businesses to help small firms expand access to health insurance. It concludes that private sector solutions alone are unlikely to solve the long-term problem, and the public sector will need to step in to make health insurance more affordable to small businesses. Volume 2 looks at programs in San Francisco, Denver, New York, and Madison. It concludes that while programs sponsored by large employers can do little to influence the rates paid by small businesses, these initiatives have succeeded in providing small firms with more choices than they would have had on their own. These documents are available through The Commonwealth Fund by calling their toll-free publications line at 1-888-777-2744 and ordering publication #475 or through their web site in the section on health insurance, the uninsured. They can also be downloaded in PDF format directly from this web site: Volume 1 and Volume 2.

State and Local Initiatives to Enhance Health Coverage for the Working Uninsured. Prepared for The Commonwealth Fund, November 2000, by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Stephanie E. Anthony, and Jack A. Meyer, Economic and Social Research Institute. Brief descriptions of state and local initiatives to expand health coverage for uninsured working people and their families. The sketches illustrate the many ways that states and local communities can make coverage more affordable and accessible to this vulnerable population, with a primary focus on initiatives that promote employment-based health insurance. Also included are examples of coverage initiatives not targeted solely to employers or employees but that enroll many working uninsured individuals. Available through The Commonwealth Fund by calling their toll-free publications line at 1-888-777-2744 and ordering publication #424 or through their web site in the section on health insurance, the uninsured.

The State of Employment-Based Health Coverage and Business Attitudes About Its Future. Prepared by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Todd Kutyla, and Jack A. Meyer. Based on in-depth interviews with employers, the report reviews the history and trends of the employment-based health coverage system, assesses its strengths and weaknesses, and explores how employers themselves feel about continuing their current roles in that system and about various options to reform it. The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded. It can also be ordered by sending an email request to esri@esresearch.org or by calling 202 833-8877 ext. 10.

Enhancing Health Coverage for the Working Uninsured: Lessons from Six State and Local Programs, February 2001. Prepared by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Emily K. Waldman and Jack A. Meyer, Economic and Social Research Institute, for The Commonwealth Fund. Presents case studies of four state and two local initiatives to expand health coverage for uninsured working people and their families. The state programs featured include Massachusetts¹ Family Assistance Program, Iowa¹s Health Insurance Premium Payment Program, Arizona¹s Health Care Group, and the New Mexico Health Insurance Alliance. The local initiatives featured were Access Health in Muskegon County, Michigan and Financially Obtainable Coverage for Uninsured San Diegans in San Diego California. The case studies illustrate the many ways that states and local communities can make coverage more affordable and accessible to the working uninsured and their families. Available through The Commonwealth Fund by calling their toll-free publications line at 1-888-777-2744 and ordering publication #445 or through their web site in the section on health insurance, the uninsured.

Increasing Access: Building Working Solutions--Featuring Examples from the Kellogg Foundation's Community Voices Initiative. Jack A. Meyer and Sharon Silow-Carroll, prepared for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, June 2000. Documents the extent of the problem of lack of access to basic health care services, delineates barriers to access, presents a comprehensive, multi-faceted framework for addressing the problems, and lays out a series of policy recommendations to improve access to underserved populations. The report features examples of the work being done at Community Voices sites in Baltimore, Denver, El Paso, Ingham County Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, and West Virginia. The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded at the Community Voices web site

Medicaid Managed Care for Non-elderly Persons with Disabilities: 50 State Profiles and Four Case Studies,Jack Meyer, Marsha Regenstein, and Christy Schroer, Economic and Social Research Institute, March 2000. Prepared for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Part one compares Medicaid managed care programs for non-elderly persons with disabilities in the fifty states and the District of Columbia. The report first describes the types of Medicaid managed care and then identifies the special program features that characterize states¹ managed care programs for persons with disabilities. Also included in the report is a description of each of the 58 Medicaid managed care programs that enroll persons with disabilities. Part two consisted of four case studies of ambitious and innovative Medicaid managed care program in Michigan, Florida, Kentucky, and New Mexico. The report includes a cross-cutting overview with findings highlighting common themes and problems. It is available from The Kaiser Family Foundation web site

Can Physicians and Health Care Purchasers Collaborate to Improve Quality? Mark Legnini and Laurie Rosenberg, 2000. Describes an alternative to the "consumer choice model" for quality improvement. This new alternative would rely on externally accountable QI programs that are collaborations between purchasers and providers of care. Physician organizations such as specialty societies or medical groups would design and administer outcomes-based quality improvement programs for their members. Purchasers could implement incentives to reward participating physicians for meeting the standards, such as designating them as preferred providers, lessening the bureaucratic burden (e.g., eliminating prior authorization), or providing higher levels of reimbursement. The process would create a feedback loop that has more promise of changing physician practice. The report is partially based on discussions at a meeting sponsored by ESRI at the Institute of Medicine in January 2000, which was funded by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Aventis Pharmaceuticals.The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded.

Barriers to Small-Group Purchasing Cooperatives: Purchasing Health Coverage for Small Employers. Elliot K. Wicks, Mark A. Hall, and Jack A. Meyer. Prepared under a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 2000. An investigation to determine why health purchasing cooperatives have not been more successful in terms of gaining a substantial share of the small-group insurance market. Based on interviews with purchasing cooperative administrators, insurance executives, insurance regulators, and insurance agents in six sites. Includes policy alternatives for helping cooperatives achieve "critical mass" size. The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded.It can also be ordered at no cost for single copies by sending an email request to esri@esresearch.org, or if you do not have email, call 202 833-8877 Ex.10.

Academic Medical Centers and the Culture of Local Markets. Mark W. Legnini and Emily K. Waldman. Prepared under a grant from The W. J. Kellogg Foundation, August 1999. Investigates how Academic Medical Centers are coping with the increasingly competitive marketplace and how they fulfill their commitment to serve the poor in today's "bottom-line" oriented hospital industry; based on case studies of Academic Medical Centers in Baltimore, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle. The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded.It can also be ordered by sending an email request to esri@esresearch.org or by calling 202 833-8877 ext. 10.

Current Policy Issues Affecting Safety Net Providers: The Health Care Safety Net in Four Communities Jack A. Meyer, Mark W. Legnini, and Emily K. Waldman. Prepared under a grant from The W. J. Kellogg Foundation, August 1999.Discusses sources of distress for Academic Medical Centers and Community Health Centers as safety net providers and how they are coping with these challenges; based on case studies in Baltimore, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle. The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded.It can also be ordered by sending an email request to esri@esresearch.org or by calling 202 833-8877 ext. 10.

Business Attitudes Toward Health Insurance Coverage of Employees and Their Dependent Children: Results from a National Survey, prepared by Michael J. Perry, Christopher G. Marshall, and Neil J. Robertson for the Economic and Social Research Institute under a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 1999. Results of a survey of 1,200 small, medium, and large businesses regarding their attitudes about health care for employees and dependents. The report is available in PDF format and can be viewed on-line or downloaded.

Business and Employee Attitudes Toward the New State Children's Health Insurance Program: Results from a National Survey and Focus Groups, Jack A. Meyer, Elliot K. Wicks, Stephanie E. Anthony, Laurie E. Rosenberg, and Michael J. Perry. Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 1999. Draws on a national sample of employers who employ significant numbers of workers whose children are likely to be eligible for the state CHIP programs. The report explores the extent to which employers are likely to stop paying for health insurance coverage for children of such workers if the children become eligible for the new state-subsidized plans. Based on focus groups with the employees, the report documents the circumstances under which employees themselves might decide to substitute state-subsidized coverage under CHIP for employer-sponsored coverage. The full report is available for a charge of $20. Also available is a short document that summarizes the findings, Crowd-Out Under CHIP (available in html format as well as in printed form for $5 each). Discounts are available for multiple-copy purchases of any of the documents. Send email request to esri@esresearch.org, or if you do not have email, call 202 833-8877 Ex.10.

Report on Report Cards: Initiatives of Health Coalitions and State Government Employers to Report on Health Plan Performance and Use Financial Incentives, Vol. II Elliot K. Wicks, Jack A. Meyer, Lise S. Rybowski, and Michael J. Perry. Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 1999. The second volume of a two-volume report on findings from a multi-year project conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute to investigate how health coalitions and state government employers are assessing the performance of health plans and reporting the results of these assessments to their employees to help them select health plans. Also available is a short document, Using Report Cards to Assess Health Plans, that summarizes our work, with particular attention to reporting the findings of practical use to employers that may wish to initiate a report card effort themselves. The summary documents are $5 each, and each of the longer reports are $20 each or $30 each for both. Discounts are available for multiple-copy purchases of any of the three documents. Send email request to esri@esresearch.org, or if you do not have email, call 202 833-8877 Ex.10.

Privatization of Public Hospitals, Mark W. Legnini, Stephanie E. Anthony, Elliot K. Wicks, Jack A. Meyer, Lise S. Rybowski, and Larry S. Stepnick, January 1999. Prepared for and published by The Kaiser Family Foundation. Based on case studies of five hospital conversions from public to private status, as well as a number of other less intense investigations. Analyzes the causes and effects of such conversions, with special attention to the effects on the hospitals' public purpose. The report and the Executive Summary are available in PDF format and from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Job Prospects for Welfare Recipients: Employers Speak Out, Marsha Regenstein, Jack A. Meyer, and Jennifer Dickemper Hicks, Occasional Paper Number 10, prepared for and published by the Urban Institute, July 1998. Report on a national survey of 500 employers in industries likely to to significant numbers of entry-level workers to determine their practices and attitudes with respect to hiring welfare recipients. Also reports on survey of similar employers in Milwaukee and Los Angeles. The report is available in PDF* format or can be ordered from the Urban Institute at 202 833-7200.

Medicaid Managed Care for Persons with Disabilities, Marsha Regenstein and Stephanie E. Anthony, Occasional Paper Number 11, prepared for and published by the Urban Institute, August 1998. Reviews and analyzes the efforts of 13 state Medicaid programs to incorporate people under age 65 with disabilities into their managed care programs. Describes how states have made choices on several policy dimensions, including capitation arrangements, voluntary versus mandatory participation, enrollment, mainstream versus specialized programs, the role of behavior health, rate setting, and quality assurance. The report is available in PDF format* or can be ordered from the Urban Institute at 202 833-7200.

Medicaid Managed Care for Persons with Disabilities: State Profiles, Marsha Regenstein and Christy Shroer, prepared for and published by the The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, December 1998. Based on telephone interviews with all 50 state Medicaid program, this report profiles 36 state programs to enroll non-elderly persons with disabilities in managed care. Available from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

The Role of Medical Savings Accounts in Health System Reform, Elliot K. Wicks and Jack A. Meyer, May 1998. Prepared for and published by the National Coalition on Health Care. Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of medical savings accounts and assesses their likely effect on the health economy. The report is available in PDF fomat and is also available from the National Coalition on Health Care, 202 637-6830.

Report on Report Cards: Initiatives of Health Coalitions and State Government Employers to Report on Health Plan Performance and Use Financial Incentives, Jack A. Meyer, Elliot K. Wicks, Lise S. Rybowski, and Michael J. Perry. Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 1998. Focuses on the efforts of health coalitions, state employers, and a large employer to help employees make wiser decisions in choosing health plans by providing them with information on health plan performance. Also examines financial incentives used by these purchasers to motivate health plans to improve quality and other aspects of performance and to induce employees to be cost-sensitive and quality-conscious in choosing health plans. The Executive Summary is available on line in html format. The full report can be ordered from ESRI for $20; discounts are available for volume orders. Send email request to esri@esresearch.org, or if you do not have email, call 202 833-8877.

Geriatric Teams in Managed Care Organizations: A Promising Strategy for Costs and Outcomes, Marsha Regenstein, Jack A. Meyer, and Nancy Bagby. Supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, March 1998. Reports on a particularly effective approach for providing quality care to elderly patients through the use of geriatric teams. In-depth case studies and site visits to progressive managed care organizations. The Executive Summary is available on line in html format. The Full Report can be viewed or downloaded in PDF format.*. It is also available at no charge by mail. Send email request to esri@esresearch.org, or if you do not have email, call 202 833-8877.

Assessing the Early Impact of Hospital Mergers: An Analysis of the St. Louis and Philadelphia Markets, Elliot K. Wicks, Jack A. Meyer, and Marcia Carlyn. Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 1998. Compares the effects of hospital merger activity in St. Louis, where mergers began in 1993, and in Philadelphia, where they began only recently, to determine whether the expected effects of mergers in terms of increased efficiency and reduction in excess capacity and resource duplication have been realized. The Executive Summary is available on line in HTML format. The full report can be ordered from ESRI for $20; discounts are available for volume orders. Send email request to esri@esresearch.org, or if you do not have email, call 202 833-8877.

Options to Assure Access to Health Care for People Leaving Welfare for Work, Jack A. Meyer and Sharon Silow-Carroll. Prepared for The Annie E. Casey Foundation, September 1996. Develops a series of policy options for state and federal officials to help people make the transition from welfare to work without losing health coverage. Highlights promising state initiatives and private sector models. (This document can be downloaded in PDF format.* It is also available in html format.)

Employer Coalition Initiatives in Health Care Purchasing, Volume 2, Jack A. Meyer, Sharon Silow-Carroll, Ingrid A. Tillmann, and Lise Rybowski. Prepared for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,September 1996. Reports on a 15-month evaluation of six employer health care coalitions. Assesses their progress in building information systems, using financial incentives, and educating employees on health issues. Features three case studies. A companion volume (February 1996) profiled three additional coalitions.

Welfare-to-Work in Indianapolis: A Preliminary Evaluation, Jack A. Meyer, Nancy S. Bagby and Marilyn E. Klotz. Prepared for the City of Indianapolis & Indianapolis Private Industry Council, September 1996. Evaluates an innovative program in which government enters into performance-based contracts with private organizations to place welfare recipients in jobs. Recommends ways to reduce attrition, build in accountability, and improve successful job placement and retention. (This document can be downloaded in PDF format.)*

Assessing Business Attitudes on Health Care, Jack A. Meyer, Diane H. Naughton, and Michael J. Perry. Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Presents the results of a survey of over 600 employers, focusing on their attitudes toward health coverage for children. Download in PDF format.*

*PDF formatted documents retain all formatting and layout of the original document, including tables and graphs. Such documents can be downloaded, read, and printed by anyone who has downloaded and installed Adobe Acrobat 3.0, which is available for no charge from Adobe's Web Site.)

Publications

Recent Publications

Journal Articles

Reports