HUD Smokefree Housing Comments 2015

On January 19, 2016, the CALC submitted these comments supporting HUD’s proposed rule to make all publicly owned housing smokefree. The comments encourage the final rule to go further and makes the following recommendations to HUD:

  • Make all government subsidized housing (mixed-financing units) smokefree
  • Extend the 25 foot perimeter around buildings where smoking would be prohibited  to the entire grounds owned by the Public Housing Authority
  • Include water pipe tobacco and e-cigarettes under the definition of tobacco products
  • Amend its Regulatory Impact assessment to reflect the decrease in lost productivity that will result from fewer asthma exacerbations in individuals who live in public housing

Download the comments.

Support for school asthma management plans in ESEA

This letter from leading asthma organization, many of whom are members of the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition, requests Section 4105 (a)(4)(T) of the Senate substitute of S. 1177, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act be included in the final bill Congress approves. This provision would allow states and local educational agencies to use funds from Title IV (Safe and Healthy Students) for "the development and implementation of school asthma management plan[s].” 

Download the letter.

Tackling Health Disparities in Children: The Role of Medicaid and CHIP in Reducing Disparities and Improving Health Outcomes for Children of Color

 

The Congressional Allergy & Asthma Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a congressional lunch briefing Thursday, July 30th at Rayburn House Office Building on Tackling Health Disparities in Children for Medicaid's 50th anniversary.

Despite significant improvements in children’s health coverage over the last decade, children of color continue to experience notable health disparities. From infant mortality and dental care, to asthma treatment and mental health services, children of color have higher rates of disease, poorer overall health status, and more limited access to care.

While coverage is only one part of the disparities equation, Medicaid and CHIP are essential sources of health coverage for children of color whose families are more likely to be low-income. These programs insure more than half of Hispanic children (52%) and Black children (56%) compared to one-quarter of White (26%) and Asian (25%) children. The good news is that Medicaid and CHIP are making a difference in reducing racial and ethnic disparities by helping to connect children to the medical care they need.

The Congressional Allergy & Asthma Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for an educational staff briefing provided important information for policymakers on the current state of health disparities among children. Expert panelists shared the latest data on how children of color are faring as well as an overview of Medicaid and CHIP, with a focus on how these programs have been working to reduce health disparities. Panelists also highlighted best practices as well as areas where disparities continue to persist. The panelists each gave a short presentation and left time open for questions. (Download bios)

Download First Focus's child health disparities fact sheet here.

Moderator:

Dr. Floyd Malveaux, M.D., Ph.D; Executive Director, Merck Childhood Asthma Network

Panelists:

Dr. Joseph Wright, M.D., M.P.H.; Chair of Pediatrics, Howard University (Download presentation)

Genevieve Kenney, M.A., Ph.D; Codirector and Senior Fellow, Health Policy Center, Urban Institute (Download presentation)

Dr. Tyra Bryant- Stephens, M.D.; Medical Director of the Community Asthma Prevention Program, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) (Download presentation)

Medicaid and CHIP are Essential for Tackling Health Disparities in Children

Despite notable advancements in children’s health care over the last two decades, children of color continue to experience a range of health disparities when compared with white children. Over the last two decades, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have played a critical role in providing a broad range of services to children in low-income families, from basic screenings and medical and dental services, eyeglasses and hearing aids, to language interpretation, transportation, and chronic disease management services. Working together, these programs have cut the numbers of uninsured children in half, with the greatest improvement in coverage rates for children of color.

Congressman Engel Floor Statement on Asthma Awareness Month

Mr. Speaker: May is Asthma Awareness Month. As co-chair of the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Health Subcommittee, I want to take this opportunity to bring attention to asthma’s prevalence in the United States, as well as what must be done to control its growth.

Asthma is one of the most serious chronic diseases in the U.S., affecting almost 26 million Americans and nearly 7 million children. It can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and even death.

In my home state of New York, asthma takes a particularly heavy toll – especially in my hometown of the Bronx. About 390,000 children and 1.4 million adults in New York have asthma. The total cost of asthma-related hospitalizations in New York in 2007 was a staggering $535 million. The Bronx, where I was born and raised and am proud to represent part of, has one of the highest rates of asthma-related emergency room visits in all of New York.

These statistics are even more alarming when looking specifically at minority and low-income populations. Children from poor households are twice as likely as their more affluent peers to be diagnosed with asthma. In addition, asthma rates among African American children increased by 50 percent between 2001 and 2009.

Asthma’s prevalence costs children and adults dearly with regard to quality of life. However, it carries an economic cost as well. The direct medical costs of asthma treatment, coupled with absences from work and school, result in losses of more than $56 billion annually. Children additionally suffer academically, as asthma causes about 14 million student absences each year.

While asthma can be treated and managed, it is too often not managed properly. Asthma sufferers require regular check-ups, asthma management plans, and access to both maintenance and fast acting inhalers. People with persistent asthma must be tested for allergies so they can learn what triggers might cause an asthma attack. Furthermore, environmental triggers in homes and schools, such as mold, dust, animal dander, pests, toxic chemicals, and excessive moisture must be eliminated.

Congress must also work to reduce asthma rates. A little over five years ago, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act, which prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, like asthma. While this was a terrific stride, more efforts are needed here in Washington.

I have been a strong supporter of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Asthma Control Program, which helps states implement systems to monitor and treat asthma. This Program’s work has resulted in a $23.1 billion decline in asthma health care costs since 2001. In addition, deaths related to asthma have dropped by 24 percent since the Program’s inception in 1999. Earlier this year, I led a letter asking appropriators to fund the National Asthma Control Program at $30.6 million in Fiscal Year 2016.

While financial support for this Program is vital, we cannot rely on funding alone to solve the problems that asthma causes. We must continue to increase awareness of preventative measures to help people manage their disease. In addition, we must work collaboratively across sectors to address the burden that asthma creates.

I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that adults and children across the United States can live healthier and more successful lives. 

Improve the Lives of Asthma and Allergy Sufferers in Your District: Join the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus

This letter from Congressmen Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Gregg Harper (R-MS) formally invites their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus for the 113th Congress. Reps. Engel and Harper serve as the caucus' co-chairs. 

Download the letter. 

Asthma Awareness Month 2015 Coalition Toolkit

May is Asthma Awareness Month, creating an important opportunity for Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition member organizations and their partners to raise the important role public policy plays in helping children with asthma stay healthy.

Much of the news and social media outreach about Asthma Awareness Month will likely focus on tips for parents or local experts’ perspectives on the problem’s scope. But we can help audiences to see that decisions in Washington and state capitals have an important impact on the health of local children. With Congress considering legislation to weaken Medicaid, raising the voices of the childhood asthma community is especially important.

This toolkit offers ideas and examples you can use in your community. Feel free to use any or all of these resources:

  • Traditional Media
    • A sample op-ed that connects Medicaid’s future with the health of local children and urges congressional representatives to take a stand for children’s health
    • A tipsheet on pitching newspaper opinion editors
  • Social Media
    • Sample Facebook and Twitter posts designed to gradually move your online networks, over the course of the month from awareness of Medicaid’s important role for children with asthma to engagement with policymakers
    • A social media tipsheet

The toolkit was developed by First Focus for Coalition members. If you have questions or need extra help, please feel free to contact the First Focus communications team. If you use the toolkit in your Asthma Awareness Month outreach efforts, please share examples of your work to make it even easier for other Coalition members to get involved.

CALC 2014 Year in Review

This document highlights the major accomplishments of the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalitions three workgroups (Medicaid, federal funding, and asthma research), reviews efforts to engage with Federal leaders on asthma and our outreach to leaders on Capitol Hill, and describes actions in 2014 to strategically grow the Coalition and increase its media presence. 

Download CALC 2014 Year in Review.

Children’s Coverage Letter to MACPAC

CALC’s letter to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) serves as our comments in response to the MACPAC request for input about access to and affordability of children’s coverage. The letter addresses our views and concerns about the future of CHIP and the adequacy of Marketplace coverage, with a particular focus on children and asthma.

Click here to view the letter. 

HUD Smoke-Free Letter

CALC’s letter urges United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro to issue regulations making all government-subsidized housing smoke free. The letter was signed by CALC member organizations advocating for children and public health. It observes that this reform would:

  1. Protect kids from asthma – the most prevalent chronic health condition affecting children, and even more prevalent among kids in public housing;
  2. Mitigate racial disparities in health, and;
  3. Save a half-billion taxpayer dollars every year

Click here to read the letter.

Related: Advocates Call for Smoke-Free Public Housing (press release)

Using Social Impact Financing to Improve Asthma Outcomes

Social impact bonds bring private and public sectors together to solve problems of shared concern. The Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition is working to uplift social impact financing approaches designed to tackle chronic asthma, working to demonstrate the dual social and financial benefits of up-front investment in asthma management and prevention.

This issue brief summarizes case studies from three promising social impact financing initiatives aimed at improving asthma management.

NHLBI Research Support Letter

In September 2014, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) issued a Request for Information as they consider forming a research consortium to translate and disseminate evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. Translational research is much needed in the field of asthma and the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition responded to NHLBI’s request with a general letter of support for these efforts. 

Using Social Impact Financing to Improve Asthma Outcomes

The Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition hosted a webinar on September 29, 2014 to discuss efforts underway to use a social impact bond (SIB) financing model to address the range of complex issues that children with asthma face to get their chronic condition under control. SIBs are a potentially powerful tool for improving services for medically underserved children with asthma.

This webinar explored three emerging social financing models that tackle chronic asthma, working to demonstrate the dual social and financial benefits of up-front investment in asthma management and prevention. The following presenters discussed SIB models underway in Fresno, CA, Alameda County, CA and Baltimore, MD:

  • Tony Iton, MD, JD, MPH: Senior Vice President, Healthy Communities, The California Endowment
  • Anne Kelsey Lamb, MPH: Director, Regional Asthma Management & Prevention (RAMP)
  • Ruth Ann Norton: President & CEO, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
  • Alice Yu: Associate, Third Sector Capital Partners
  • Maria Hernandez, PhD: President, Impact4Health; Special Advisor on Social Impact Investing, Health Research for Action, UC Berkeley School of Public Health

In its most basic form, private investors participating in a SIB model pay the upfront costs for providing social services - from services related to criminal justice, to education, to health - and government agencies repay investors with a return on their investment if the program achieves agreed-upon outcomes (such as decreased healthcare expenditures).  

SIB models focused on asthma are designed to demonstrate that by educating patients and taking action against asthma triggers at home, insurers can achieve significant savings on emergency room visits, hospitalizations and other healthcare costs.

Download the webinar slides. 

Play the webinar recording. 

Coalition for Healthier Schools Back to School Toolkit

Every September, and after each return to school following a vacation, kids’ hospitalizations due to asthma increase sharply in large part because of poor indoor air quality and exposure to asthma triggers including chemicals in schools. It is essential for parents, teachers, and all school employees to be proactive in ensuring the schools are healthy and safe for children and the adults.

In an effort to provide guidance towards an environmentally healthy school, the Coalition for Healthier Schools has released its annual Back to School Toolkit with fact sheets and guides on Indoor Air QualityHealthy PurchasingGreen CleaningTips for Tours, and more.

Asthma Awareness Month 2014 Coalition Toolkit

May is Asthma Awareness Month, creating an important opportunity for Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition member organizations and their partners to raise the important role public policy plays in helping children with asthma stay healthy.

Much of the news and social media outreach about Asthma Awareness Month will likely focus on tips for parents or local experts’ perspectives on the problem’s scope. But we can help audiences to see that decisions in Washington and state capitals have an important impact on the health of local children. With funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) set to expire next year, raising the voices of the childhood asthma community is especially important.

This toolkit offers ideas and examples you can use in your community. Feel free to use any or all of these resources:

The toolkit was developed by First Focus for Coalition members. If you have questions or need extra help, please feel free to contact the First Focus communications team. If you use the toolkit in your Asthma Awareness Month outreach efforts, please share examples of your work to make it even easier for other Coalition members to get involved.

National Asthma Control Program Funding Opportunity Announcement Overview

On March 5, 2014, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the National Asthma Control Program (NACP). The attached document provides an overview of new program requirements and opportunities, with a particular focus on differences between this new FOA and previous funding requirements.

Letter on the Free-Care Rule to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

This letter was sent by the Coalition to ask CMS to clarify its regulation on Medicaid reimbursements to schools for providing health services to Medicaid-enrolled children. CMS guidance states that schools can only bill Medicaid for health services if they also bill third party insurers covering other kids, which is burdensome for schools to comply with. The HHS Appeals Board took up this issue and ruled that CMS did not have the right to enforce such a rule, but reimbursements to schools continue to be a hurdle. This letter asks CMS to allow schools to bill Medicaid for health services provided as intended by the HHS ruling.

Click here to view the letter