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News:

Blewett Elected to AcademyHealth Board
October 20, 2008
SHADAC Principal Investigator Lynn Blewett was elected to the AcademyHealth Board of Directors.  "This is great opportunity for the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health to stay connected with health services research field and develop opportunities for faculty and students for cutting-edge research," stated Blewett.  Her term begins in December of 2008 and runs through December 2012.  

Small Area Health Insurance Estimates Released
October 9, 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau released an update to their model-based Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) today. 

SHADAC will host a conference call to discuss these estimates on October 14 at 11:30 AM EDT.  This call is open to the public but reservations are required to shadac@umn.edu or 612-624-4802.  More information on these estimates is available at the SAHIE web site.

SHADAC Newsletter Released
October 9, 2008
SHADAC's November 2008 newsletter is available for download.

Rockefeller Institute Research Looks at State Measures to Help Small Groups Obtain Health Insurance
September 18, 2008
The Rockefeller Institute of Government’s Health Policy Research Center has issued a series of reports on private insurance coverage for small businesses. The reports, funded by the New York State Health Foundation, include a nationwide scan of the various strategies states are using to try to address the growing problem of small-group coverage. There are also three in-depth case studies on the strategies being used by Maine, Minnesota, and New Jersey and a comprehensive report that combines what was learned from the state scan and field research.   SHADAC researchers prepared the in-depth case study “Individual High Risk Pools: A Case Study of the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association.”  All reports are available for download at www.rockinst.org.

Summary from SHADAC's CPS Conference Call Now Available
September 10, 2008
A summary of the conference call hosted by SHADAC to discuss the 2007 CPS data release is now available for download.

Issue Brief Update Released on Comparing Federal Survey Estimates of Health Insurance Coverage
August 28, 2008
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundaton released an update of the issue brief, "Comparing Federal Government Surveys that Count Uninsured People in America." SHADAC researchers compiled this brief, which addressses the differences in estimates between the CPS, NHIS and MEPS.  Download the brief.

CPS Health Insurance Estimates Released
August 26, 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) health insurance estimates today, reporting that the number of uninsured Americans has decreased in the past year, with 45.7 million Americans now uninsured.  The increase in coverage is being driven by government-funded health insurance, with increases in the number of publicly insured children and adults.  Detailed estimates are available at the Census Bureau's Health Insurance web page.

CPS Data Release Conference Call on August 27
August 18, 2008
SHADAC will host its annual conference call to discuss the major findings and measurement issues with 2007 CPS data release. The call will feature Chuck Nelson of the U.S. Census Bureau, and will be held at 1:00 p.m. EDT on August 27, 2008.  The call is free but registration is required by e-mail to shadac@umn.edu or call 612-624-4802.

Report on Children's Coverage Released
August 14, 2008
A new report, “A Needed Lifeline: Chronically Ill Children and Public Health Insurance Coverage,” was released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  The report, conducted by researchers at SHADAC, shows that having health insurance makes an enormous difference in whether kids receive the care they need, especially if they are chronically ill.  Download the report.

SHADAC Newsletter Released
August 11, 2008
SHADAC's August 2008 newsletter is available for download.

NHIS State-level Estimates Released
June 30, 2008
The National Center for Health Statisics has released a new report with state-level estimates of insurance coverage for the NHIS, 2004-2006.  Estimates are available for 41 states.  The report is available for download from the CDC.

Davern Wins Thompson Award
June 13, 2008
SHADAC’s Mike Davern has been awarded the 2008 AUPHA John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators. This award recognizes young investigators based on their contributions to the research literature in the field of health services.

SHADAC Newsletter Released
May 5, 2008
SHADAC's May 2008 newsletter is available for download.

Cover the Uninsured Report Released:  Cost of Premiums Outpaces Income
April 29, 2008
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released a report shows that a growing share of workers’ earnings is being absorbed by the increasing cost of health insurance.  SHADAC researchers conducted this analysis.  Download "Squeezed:  How Costs for Insuring Families are Outpacing Income."

Analysis of Medicaid "Undercount" released
April 15, 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau has released reports for Phases 1 and 2 of the analysis of survey underestimation of Medicaid enrollment.  SHADAC researcher Mike Davern lead this project.  The Census Bureau has published a Web page dedicated to these reports and will be updated as the reports are released.

SHADAC Releases Issue Brief on Response Rates
March 3, 2008
SHADAC researchers have released a new issue brief, "Are Lower Response Rates Hazardous to your Health Survey?"  The brief addresses potential bias due to non-respondents being different than respondents.
Download the brief

Minnesota Rates of Uninsurance Stabilize Following Earlier Increases
January 31, 2008
New results from the 2007 Minnesota Health Access Survey show 7.2 percent of Minnesotans were without health insurance.  After rising between 2001 and 2004, the percentage of Minnesotans without health insurance was stable between 2004 and 2007, according to the results of a new survey by the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. SHADAC Investigator Kathleen Call oversaw this project.
Complete News Release
Fact Sheet