From Foresight, Vol. 6, No. 4
published 1999
Reflecting the ascending importance of health care on both the state and national agenda, an estimated 350 people were on hand to learn from a range of policy experts about how to improve access to health care in Kentucky.
The Census Bureau estimates that the national uninsured population has increased by roughly 1 million people every year for the past decade. Estimates of Kentucky’s uninsured population, which is believed to be somewhat lower than the national rate of 16.3 percent in 1998, range from 14 percent to 16 percent.
“Unraveling the Health Care Dilemma,” the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center’s 6th annual conference, was co-sponsored by the University of Kentucky (UK) Center for Health Services Management and Research, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services, and the Western Kentucky University Department of Public Health. The one-day, November 18, 1999, conference was held at the new Bowling Green-Warren County Convention Center.
Following opening remarks by Ron Carson, outgoing Chair of the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center Board, House Speaker Jody Richards welcomed those in attendance to his home district and provided a comprehensive update on legislative activity regarding health care in the Commonwealth.
Speaker Richards then presented the 3rd annual Vic Hellard Jr. Award, given in memory and in tribute to the late Director of the Legislative Research Commission, to Mary Helen Miller. Now retired, Miller held a number of executive posts in state government during her career and has been actively involved in numerous community and regional initiatives.
Figure: House Speaker Jody Richards presents Mary Helen Miller with the 1999 Vic Hellard Jr. Award
The morning sessions of the conference focused on the extent and the implications of the uninsured population in Kentucky and on programs that have been recognized nationally for their innovations in closing gaps in health care.
In the opening session, Dr. Joyce Beaulieu, a researcher with the UK Center for Health Services Management, presented findings about Kentucky’s uninsured from the 1997 Kentucky Health Survey. Dr. Beaulieu’s analysis of the data collected by the UK Survey Research Center found that Kentuckians who do not have health insurance are more likely to be poor, uneducated, to live in rural areas, and to forego important health screening, such as mammograms, for longer periods of time.
A second morning session featured a panel of health care leaders who have headed distinguished, award-winning initiatives aimed at expanding the reach of health care services in their communities. The three panelists each represented health care initiatives that were past winners of the Harvard University-Ford Foundation “Innovations in American Government” award.
Panelists included Dr. Suzanne F. Landis, Director of the Rural Fellows Program in Asheville, North Carolina; Patricia Bean, Deputy County Administrator, Tampa, Florida; and Dr. Kathleen Weaver, Medical Director of the Oregon Health Plan. Dr. Landis presented an account of the formation of Healthpartners, a community-based health coalition to identify health needs of the medically underserved poor in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and the resultant Project Access, which links those in need with physicians or agencies. Patricia Bean detailed the development and implementation of the highly successful, county-level Hillsborough Health Care Plan. Dr. Weaver detailed some of the experiences of the Oregon Health Care Plan.
Dr. Linda Blumberg, a nationally recognized expert on the scope of the uninsured population and responses to it, gave the keynote address on emerging antidotes to declining access. Dr. Blumberg replaced Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, who was unable to attend due to congressional budget bill negotiations. Her planned speech is provided in "Health Care Issues We Face."
Afternoon sessions featured state and national policy experts, including RAND researcher Dr. Vicki Freedman, whose research has documented improvements in the functional capacity of older Americans, an important health care indicator for the future. Afternoon sessions focused on ways of mending the safety net, new modes of expanding access to health care, and the implications of the aging population.
The Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center released a report, “What Next for Kentucky Health Care,” on access to health care at the conference. It includes interviews with state health care leaders, details of model initiatives that have helped expand access, and policy recommendations. Prepared jointly with the UK Center for Health Services Management and Research, copies of the report are available free of charge from the Center while they last.