Dual Eligibles

?Medicare Advantage Rate Setting and Risk Adjustment: A Primer for States Considering Contracting with Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans to Cover Medicaid Benefits.? James M. Verdier, October 2006. The Center for Health Care Strategies is working with states to integrate the financing, delivery, and administration of primary, acute, behavioral health, and long-term care services and supports for adults with disabling chronic conditions who are dually eligible or covered solely by Medicaid. The initiative is also helping states develop the infrastructure for integrating health care services and contracting with Special Needs Plans. This primer outlines the bidding process for Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans and highlights the opportunity for a coordinated bidding and contracting process that will allow states to benefit from savings resulting from better integrated Medicare-Medicaid coverage.

Kids and Sugary Drinks

?School Vending Machine Use and Fast-Food Restaurant Use Are Associated with Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake in Youth.? Jean L. Wiecha, Daniel Finkelstein, Philip J. Troped, Maren Fragala, and Karen E. Peterson, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, October 2006. This article examines associations between use of school vending machines and fast-food restaurants and youth intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. The authors analyzed baseline data from 1,474 students in 10 Massachusetts middle schools with vending machines that sold soda and/or other sweetened drinks. Findings show that among students who use school vending machines, more report buying sugar-sweetened beverages than any other product category examined. Both school vending machine and fast-food restaurant use are associated with overall sugar-sweetened beverage intake. The authors suggest that reduction in added dietary sugars may be attainable by reducing use of these sources or changing product availability.

A Look at Food Stamp Households

“Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2005.” Allison Barrett, September 2006. The Food Stamp Program is the largest of the 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. This report presents an overview of the eligibility requirements and benefit levels, as well as the characteristics of food stamp households and participants nationwide, in fiscal year 2005. In an average month, the program provided benefits to approximately 25.7 million people for a cost of $31.1 billion, $28.6 billion of which was for food stamp benefits. The average monthly food stamp benefit for all participants was $213 per household. Compared with 2004, the number of participants increased by 8 percent and the benefit costs increased by 16 percent. Full Report. Summary.

Healthy Kids in Los Angeles

"A Profile of Young Children in the Los Angeles Healthy Kids Program: Who Are They and What Are Their Experiences on the Program?" Embry M. Howell, Lisa Dubay, Genevieve M. Kenney, Louise Palmer, Ian Hill, Moira Inkelas, and Martha Kovac, October 2006. The Los Angeles Healthy Kids program was created in July 2003 to provide coverage to low-income, uninsured children ages zero to five years who are ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. The report provides a descriptive analysis of 1,087 families who completed a baseline survey during 2005. The survey gathered data on children's health status, health care access and use, parental satisfaction, and the enrollment and renewal process. The survey design was modeled after the Evaluation of the Santa Clara County Children's Health Initiative that Mathematica has been conducting since 2001.

Read more about the Santa Clara study.

Career Opportunities

For information on career opportunities at Mathematica, visit us at https://careers.mathematica-mpr.com.