This document serves as a resource to show funding levels of federal programs relating to child asthma over the last few budget cycles as well as President Obama’s most recent budget request to Congress for FY 2015.
As we begin a new year for the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition, it is important to take a look back at our accomplishments in 2013 and evaluate our progress toward addressing the serious and pervasive problem of childhood asthma in the United States. This document highlights the major accomplishments of our three workgroups; reviews our efforts to engage with Federal leaders on asthma and our outreach to leaders on Capitol Hill; and describes actions in 2013 to strategically grow the Coalition and increase its media presence.
Asthma is the most common chronic condition among school-aged children in the United States, and the school setting is an important place for asthma management. The availability of effective school-based asthma services depends greatly on a school system’s ability to obtain Medicaid reimbursement or other funding. Current federal Medicaid policy limits reimbursement for some of the services that students with asthma require at school.
The Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition, National Association of School Nurses and the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education, Inc., sponsored this Thursday, January 30, 2014 webinar to explore reimbursement hurdles and new opportunities for delivering effective health services in schools for students with asthma. Presenters described public and private funding sources used by school districts to cover nursing services; examined recent legal challenges to the “free care rule,” which is an obstacle to Medicaid reimbursement in schools; and discussed new ways to increase access to health services in schools. The webinar also examined opportunities under health reform law and recent changes to federal Medicaid policy that could allow community health workers to help deliver preventive services to children in schools.
Webinar presenters:
Effective care coordination can improve quality of life for children with asthma and their families. Using a treatment approach that marries health care and social support services can help manage symptoms, create asthma care plans and better monitor progress.
But does the care setting have an impact on the design of the care coordination program? And can childhood asthma be managed the same way at school as it is in a community health center or hospital system?
The Merck Childhood Asthma Network (MCAN) sponsored this September 24, 2013, webinar on “The Influence of Setting on Care Coordination for Childhood Asthma.” Presenters explored how diverse settings influence childhood asthma care coordination program design, focusing on care implementation through school district nursing services, urban pediatric health systems, federally qualified health centers, and in partnership with multiple providers and organizations.
Webinar presenters included:
Access a PDF version of the slideshow here.
Effective January 1, 2014, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services is changing Medicaid regulations regarding which types of providers can be reimbursed for providing preventive services to Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries. The attached one-page Q&A explains how this important Medicaid change will impact coverage of community-based interventions for low-income children with asthma.
Coalition members sent this letter recently to Administrator Tavenner in support of recent actions by the Department of Health and Human Services to clarify that community prevention efforts are eligible for reimbursement under Medicaid.
The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services is hosting a new technical assistance series, Promoting Prevention in Medicaid and CHIP. This series is part of a new and expanding effort to support state efforts to improve beneficiary access to high-quality preventive health services that would great benefit children with asthma.
Working with Managed Care Organizations to promote prevention
May 21, 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT
877-267-1577; Meeting ID: 8494
https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/ppmc2/
Using health IT to improve access to preventive services
May 30, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
877-267-1577; Meeting ID: 0374
https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/ppmc3/
Building partnerships and financing prevention in Medicaid and CHIP (In partnership with ASTHO)
June 13, 2:00-3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
877-267-1577; Meeting ID: 2168
https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/ppmc4/
In April, the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule implementing provisions of the Navigator program. State Exchanges must establish Navigator programs to provide information to consumers regarding health insurance coverage across Exchanges, and state Medicaid and CHIP programs. State Navigator programs have the potential to greatly assist children and families in enrolling in coverage options for which they are eligible. These proposed regulations create certain training/certification and “meaningful access” standards applicable to entities that operate as Navigators. The Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition submitted the attached comments to CMS in response to this proposed rule.
Asthma is the most common chronic health condition affecting kids. We’re partnering with the CDC and the American Lung Association for Asthma Awareness Month, to share data from CDC’s National Asthma Control Program and talk about how each of us can make a difference for kids’ health. Join us on Twitter Friday, 5/3, from 12-1p ET, using the hashtag #asthma.
Click the hashtag to see tweets.
On February 6, 2013, the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition hosted a webinar entitled: Developing Mechanisms for Sustainable Funding of Community Asthma Management. The webinar examined new and ongoing efforts underway in Massachusetts to address the burden of childhood asthma through delivery system innovations and new reimbursement models that promote community-based interventions to reduce asthma triggers in homes and community settings.
The following presenters participated in this webinar:
Presenters discussed how stakeholders in Massachusetts have worked to build partnerships, engage payers, and develop the business case necessary to move innovative payment and delivery models forward to give children better access to asthma services in their community.
Slides from the webinar can be found in the attached document; a recording of the webinar is also available. When the recording page opens, click the “Playback” button () and follow the instructions to begin watching the webinar. During the webinar, we experienced technical difficulties at 32:24. Please advance to the next section at the 45:30 timestamp to continue following the session.
To continue the dialogue started during the webinar, the Coalition has also released a white paper entitled “Using Medicaid to Advance Community-Based Childhood Asthma Interventions: A Review of Innovative Medicaid Programs in Massachusetts and Opportunities for Expansion under Medicaid Nationwide.”
On February 6, 2013, the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition hosted a webinar entitled: Developing Mechanisms for Sustainable Funding of Community Asthma Management. The webinar examined new and ongoing efforts underway in Massachusetts to address the burden of childhood asthma through delivery system innovations and new reimbursement models that promote community-based interventions to reduce asthma triggers in homes and community settings.
To continue the dialogue started during the webinar, the Coalition has also released a white paper entitled Using Medicaid to Advance Community-Based Childhood Asthma Interventions: A Review of Innovative Medicaid Programs in Massachusetts and Opportunities for Expansion under Medicaid Nationwide. The attached white paper:
In late January, the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule on the implementation of the Medicaid expansion provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition submitted comments to CMS.
The Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) Briefing Kit was developed as a tool to educate decision-makers about the problem of asthma and the need for environmental policy changes. Originally developed in 2004 and updated in 2007 and 2009, the kit includes science-based fact sheets on the health impacts of poor air quality in schools, homes, and outdoor environments. It also includes general information about asthma in California, the structure and purpose of the CAFA Network, and broad policy priorities. Copies can be downloaded at http://www.rampasthma.org/advocacy/asthma-briefing-kit/. For hard copies, inquire at info@rampasthma.org.
About the Series: In February 2010, the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy released Changing pO2licy: The Elements for Improving Childhood Asthma Outcomes. The report provided a comprehensive look at childhood asthma prevalence, risk factors and disparities; described best practices for clinical care and disease management; and, outlined evidence-based policy recommendations to improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of childhood asthma.
The report identified five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children:
Following the release of these recommendations, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), emphasizing expanding access to private health insurance and Medicaid and reforming the healthcare delivery system to improve quality. The ACA includes provisions to eliminate health care disparities, strengthen public health programs and access to preventive services, invest in expanding and improving the health care workforce, and encourage care coordination and disease management.
Many ACA provisions correspond to recommendations in the Changing pO2licy report and have the potential to profoundly impact the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma.
This paper focuses on one of the five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children: stable and continuous health insurance. The accompanying chart describes ACA provisions and implementation activities that could be activated to help millions of children most at risk for asthma.
This paper focuses on one of the five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children: the ability to continuously exchange information and monitor progress, using health IT. The accompanying chart describes ACA provisions and implementation activities that could be activated to help millions of children most at risk for asthma.
This paper focuses on one of the five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children: learning what works and increasing knowledge. The accompanying chart describes ACA provisions and implementation activities that could be activated to help millions of children most at risk for asthma.
This paper focuses on one of the five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children: high-quality clinical care, case management and asthma education. The accompanying chart describes ACA provisions and implementation activities that could be activated to help millions of children most at risk for asthma.
This paper focuses on one of the five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children: reducing asthma triggers in homes and communities. The accompanying chart describes ACA provisions and implementation activities that could be activated to help millions of children most at risk for asthma.
On May 31, 2010, the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children (“Task Force”) released the Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities (“Action Plan”). In general, the Action Plan calls on federal agencies to synergize their actions by coordinating federal programs and partnerships to reduce asthma disparities.
Specifically, the Action Plan provides an outline for federal action over the next 3 to 5 years to combat asthma in the following strategic categories: (1) Reduce barriers to the implementation of guidelines-based asthma management; (2) Enhance capacity to deliver integrated, comprehensive asthma care to children in communities with racial and ethnic disparities; (3) Improve capacity to identify the children most impacted by asthma disparities; (4) Accelerate efforts to identify and test interventions that may prevent the onset of asthma among ethnic and racial minority children. Please refer to the attached document for further details.
The Asthma Disparities Working Group, which is part of the Task Force, will oversee and support the progress of each of the strategies in the plan. The progress that federal agencies have made on the Action Plan’s implementation will be documented semiannually and made public.
In February 2010, the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy (GWU) released Changing pO2licy: The Elements for Improving Childhood Asthma Outcomes (Changing pO2licy). The report was released with support from the Merck Childhood Asthma Network (MCAN) and the RCHN Community Health Foundation and provides a comprehensive look at childhood asthma prevalence, risk factors and disparities; describes best practices for clinical care and disease management; and outlines evidence-based policy recommendations to improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of childhood asthma.
The report identified five essential elements for improving asthma outcomes in children, including: (1) stable and continuous health insurance; (2) high quality clinical care, case management, and asthma education available for all children, including those who remain ineligible for insurance coverage; (3) the ability to continuously exchange information and monitor progress, using health information technology (HIT) as much as possible; (4) reducing asthma triggers in homes and communities; and (5) learning what works and increasing knowledge. Please see the attached document for further information on this landmark report.
