Web Conference
This Web-assisted audio teleconference series consisted of three sessions broadcast on March 12, 13, and 14, 2002, via the World Wide Web and telephone. The User Liaison Program (ULP) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the developed and sponsored the program with the Council of State Governments.
Select to access the Conference Sessions; all slides for each presentation are also available separately. Select for Software Requirements.
While listening to the audio, you can also access the individual PowerPoint® slide presentations and manually move through the slides referred to by each presenter. There is a text version of each slide presentation, as well as a text transcript of the entire audio portion of the conference available by clicking on the indicated links.
A complete set of audio tapes of the conference is also available for $10.00 through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295. Ask for AHRQ 02-AV05A, "Addressing the Needs of the Uninsured in a Challenging Economic Environment."
Program Overview
At a time of rising health care costs, growing unemployment, and shrinking State budgets, any gains made over the past few years in addressing the problem of the uninsured are at risk of being reversed. Rising unemployment could mean the loss of employer-based health insurance for thousands of Americans, and shrinking State budgets may limit the ability of public programs to provide coverage for individuals and families who would otherwise be uninsured.
Given these factors, many State and local governments are struggling to maintain or at least minimize any decrease in the level of resources available to help the uninsured and are searching for ways to maximize the effectiveness of the scare resources they do have. To develop strategies that most effectively address the needs of the uninsured in this challenging environment, State and local policymakers and program administrators need information to address important questions such as:
- What is the likely impact of current economic conditions and related factors on the size and characteristics of the uninsured population? What are the health, economic, and social implications of a rise in the number of uninsured? How can individual States collect and analyze data to help them better understand the nature of the problem in their own jurisdiction and therefore craft more appropriate strategies to address them?
- What opportunities exist for States to use existing public programs, including Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), to address the needs of the uninsured? What strategies are State and local governments considering or implementing to maintain coverage and keep the gaps between public and private sector coverage from growing? To date, what lessons have been learned from these efforts?
- What approaches are States taking in maximizing their resources when designing effective and affordable benefit packages or service delivery approaches? What are the challenges that States face in this area? How can health services research findings inform those efforts?
Conference Sessions
To access each session, select Session Streaming Audio. All slides for each presentation are available separately. Select for Software Requirements.
Session 1: Trends in the Uninsured: Impact and Implications of the Current Economic Environment
Session 1 Streaming Audio (Length, 1:19 hours; 9.7 MB), Text Version.
Presentations
Session 2: State and Local Efforts to Close the Gaps Between Public and Private Insurance Coverage
Session 2 Streaming Audio (Length, 1:19 hours; 9.7 MB), Text Version.
Presentations
Session 3: Stretching Scarce Resources: State Strategies to Design Effective, Affordable Benefit Packages
Session 3 Streaming Audio (Length, 1:19 hours; 9.7 MB), Text Version.
Presentations
PowerPoint® files can be viewed with Microsoft® PowerPoint® or with a free PowerPoint® Viewer.
Software Requirements
To access the audio clips, you will need Real® player software installed on your computer. To download a free RealOne® player, go to http://www.real.com and select "Free RealOne® Player." Check the minimum requirements for each for your system; if you are a Macintosh or Unix/Linux user, select the player appropriate for your computer.
Follow the instructions provided for download and installation. If you are
unsure of where you saved it on your computer, select "Start" on your navigation
bar, then "Find," and search for "Real." When you find the folder, look for
the "Set-Up" box, select that, and the installation will begin.
Internet Citation:
Addressing the Needs of the Uninsured in a Challenging Economic Environment. Web Conference, broadcast on March 12-14, 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/uninsuredtele/
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850