Oral

The five conclusions for this session are as follows: 1.Richland Care participants report improvements in health status and decreased utilization of inpatient and ED services 2.Seasonal variations in employment, fluctuating incomes, and pre-existing health conditions make it nearly impossible for uninsured Alaskans to afford private insurance 3.The study examines changes between 2006 and 2007 in insurance coverage, including continuity of coverage over time; access to and use of health care; and out-of-pocket health care costs and financial stress from health care spending 4.Much of the coverage was dominated by concern over the budget impasse, and how this would reduce the time and energy available for tackling health care reform in California 5.Several alternatives for the provision of health care coverage for the uninsured were discarded because they placed these populations in a second class status

Session Objectives: There are five objectives for this session. To: 1.Describe improvements in health status for Richland Care participants 2.Understand perceptions of, and barriers to, health-insurance coverage from specific groups of Alaskans who are likely to have sporadic or no health insurance 3.Evaluate the impacts of Massachusetts health reform initiative on working-age adults 4.Describe the primary frames for and against the policies found in the California news and opinion pieces 5.Present the different policy options to expand coverage along with political and policy considerations