Early Implementation of Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans: Providing an Interim Safety Net for the Uninsurable

Outlines enrollment trends and enrollee traits in a temporary program designed to provide affordable coverage to the uninsured with preexisting conditions, changes to structures and premiums, and estimated out-of-pocket costs by utilization and plan type

Hep-Vocab

The students in my composition classes at Ball State University help lessen the verbal generation gap between their generation and mine by updating my vocabulary. Below are some words and expressions which have been assigned new meanings and vice-versa. Match the meanings (few of which are recorded in a dictionary -- even a dictionary of slang) to the expressions and see how wide the gap is between your generation and theirs. Answers are given in the Answers and Solutions at the end of this issue

Weight loss is coupled with improvements to affective state in obese participants engaged in behavior change therapy based on incremental, self-selected “Small Changes”

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a group behavior change intervention involving self-selected, contextualized, and mediated goal setting on anthropometric, affective, and dietary markers of health. It was hypothesized that the intervention would elicit changes consistent with accepted health recommendations for obese individuals. A rolling program of 12-week “Small Changes” interventions during 24 months recruited 71 participants; each program accommodated 10 to 13 adults (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2). Fifty-eight participants completed Small Changes. Repeated measures were made at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Anthropometric measures included height and weight (to calculate BMI), body composition, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Affective state was monitored using relevant validated questionnaires. Dietary assessment used 3-day household measures food diaries with Schofield equations to monitor underreporting. Relevant blood measures were recorded throughout. Across the measurement period, Small Changes elicited a significant reduction in body weight (baseline, 102.95 ± 15.47 vs 12 weeks 100.09 ± 16.01 kg, P < .0005), coupled with associated significant improvements in BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference measures. There were additional significant positive changes in measures of affective state including general well-being (baseline, 58.92 ± 21.22 vs 12 weeks 78.04 ± 14.60, P < .0005) and total mood disturbance (baseline, 31.19 ± 34.03 vs 12 weeks 2.67 ± 24.96, P < .0005). Dietary changes that occurred were largely consistent with evidenced-based recommendations for weight management and included significant reductions in total energy intake and in fat and saturated fat as a proportion of energy. The Small Changes approach can elicit a range of health-orientated benefits for obese participants, and although further work is needed to ascertain the longevity of such effects, the outcomes from Small Changes are likely to help inform health professionals when framing the future of weight management. Long-term follow-up of Small Changes is warranted

There is a lion on the reef: the political ecology of the lionfish

The lionfish is a beautiful and enigmatic creature that has become a conservation priority for organizations that are committed to protecting coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean. The management of the lionfish is the target of a variety of management strategies, such as the creation of a fishery, the commercialisation of the fish, and culling. This work will interrogate the discourse of framing the lionfish as an ecological threat and analyze the conservation priorities of Reef Check Dominican Republic, which are nested in a regional management plan. I will then critique the Conservation as Development project and the notion of sustainable livelihoods and illustrate how the overall management plan within La Caleta Marine National Park as a co-management strategy between the state and Reef Check DR are part of the projects of nation and empire building. This study will also draw attention to the assemblage of actors who have come together in the name of lionfish management, whose elite position in the conservation movement is accentuated by the power dynamics within the project

Working Healthy & Medicare Part D: Findings From Participant Surveys

In February and March 2006, KU researchers developed and administered a telephone survey to assess the actual experiences of Working Healthy enrollees with Part D transition. The survey addressed information and access issues and gave participants the opportunity to share positive and negative feedback about Part D. A random sample of 600 dually-eligible Working Healthy participants was contacted and 328 persons completed the survey, for a response rate of 55%. Demographically, the survey respondents were similar to he larger Working Healthy population. An analysis of claims data for these individuals showed that mental illnesses were the predominant disability type experienced by the grou

Working Healthy: Getting the Job Done

When the Ticket to Work/Work Incentives Improvement Act (TW-WIIA) was passed in 1999, Congress acknowledges that the potential loss of Medicaid and/or Medicare coverage for people with disabilities who attained or increased employment was a serious disincentive to their meaningful participation in work. Medicaid Buy-In programs were offered as an option to states to extend Medicaid coverage to people with disabilities who wanted to work. Evaluation activities of the Kansas Medicaid Buy-In, Working Healthy, have demonstrated that Medicaid remains a crucial element in the ability of Kansans with disabilities to wor

Curriculum Leadership as Perceived by North Dakota Elementary Principals and Teachers

This study examined the emphasis North Dakota elementary principals gave to selected curriculum leadership practices. Principals\u27 perceptions were compared with teachers\u27 perceptions of principals as curriculum leaders. Information was also sought concerning how well these principals believed they were prepared to carry out the practices of curriculum leadership. Forty curriculum leadership practices were identified and listed as part of the domains of Curriculum History, Curriculum Philosophy, Curriculum Design, Curriculum Development, Curriculum Assessment/Evaluation, and General Issues of Curriculum. Data were collected by obtaining responses to two survey instruments, one mailed to the 326 North Dakota elementary principals and one mailed to two teachers from each of the principal\u27s schools. Fifty-six percent of the principals responded, and 43% of the teachers responsed. This was less than the 60% response rate identified by the investigator as adequate and is a limitation of the study. Demographic questions were included in the surveys. Data for answering the research questions were analyzed by utilizing t tests, One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Tukey’s HSD (Honestly Significant Difference), or Pearson correlation coefficients to ascertain whether differences or relationships existed. The probability for significance for all inferential tests was set at the .05 level. The fact that curriculum does not have a widely accepted definition adds to complexity and diversity in the field. This may explain why elementary principals in North Dakota did not believe they were very well prepared in the task of curriculum leadership. However, principals consistently rated themselves higher on emphasis given to curriculum leadership practices than did teachers. Significant differences were found in 11 of the 40 comparisons between male and female principals, and female principals were higher on all 11 curriculum leadership practices. Another finding showed that the level of emphasis increased as the level of education increased. The number of years experience as an elementary principal did not make a significant difference on emphasis given to curriculum leadership practices. A correlation existed between level of preparation on emphasis given to curriculum leadership practices for all 40 curriculum leadership practices. Recommendations were given for further study and for action by appropriate groups. To have improved curriculum, it appears principals need additional education in curriculum areas

Will Medicaid Buy-In Participants Work and Earn More if Social Security Rules Change

Jensen and Silverstein (2005) reviewed federal actuarial estimates of potential increased earnings and program savings with a benefit offset and examined current employment and earnings trends among Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities. Preview federal studies projected that only 0.6% of SSDI beneficiaries would have earnings sufficient to reduce their cash benefits with a benefit offset program. Depending on various assumption, Jensen and Silverstein predicted that about 2-4% of current SSDI beneficiaries would increase their earnings to the point of reducing their federal cash benefits with the $1 for$2 federal demonstration model. We surveyed participants in the Kansas Working Healthy Medicaid Buy-In to assess how many people likely increase their employment and earnings under a gradual offset program and the characteristics of those who thought the would do so

The distribution of Tilia cordata and variations in the composition of the forests in upper Swaledale and Wensleydale during the Atlantic period

The thermal maximum of the Flandrian period was reached between 7500 B.P. and 5500 B.P. when the broad-leaved thermo- philous forests reached the furthest northern limit of their range in Britain. Tilia cordata is regarded as the most thermophilous of the North European deciduous trees. The distribution of T.cordata at 5000 B.P. (3000 B.C.) has been documented for North England although data has not been available for parts of the Central Pennines in Yorkshire, north of Settle. Pollen analysis of peat deposits in Swaledale and Wensleydale at altitudes from 480m to 590m O.D. shows that T.cordata was present at a frequency of 1% in this area during this period. The Atlantic period forests were composed mainly of Ulmus, Quercus and Alnus, with Betula, Pinus, Tilia and Fraxinus and the shrubs Corylus and Salix. The relative abundance of these genera varied at any one place and from place to place during the 2000 years. Pollen diagrams have been prepared for nine sites for the Atlantic period, pollen assemblage Zone VIIa in the terminology used by Godwin. The pollen diagrams include tree and shrub pollen only. Fagus was represented by scattered grains and has not been included. Multivariate analysis of the tree and shrub pollen data has been made. The variance between the nine sites is greater than the variance within one site. The major source of the variation does not appear to be linked with the lithology of the sites

Narrowing the Breach: Can Disability Culture and Full Educational Inclusion Be Reconciled?

Because of the long history of exclusion of people with disabilities, total inclusion in the educational environment has many outspoken proponents. People and organizations favoring inclusion, however, are overlooking the value of the disability culture that is fostered when children with disabilities have the opportunity to associate with and learn alongside other individuals who share similar identities and life experiences.The history of the disability rights movement clearly illustrates that major changes do not occur unless people with disabilities band together to address shared injustices (e.g., Shapiro, 1993). The phenomenon of a disability culture has been convincingly demonstrated by many researchers and writers, and its importance to the development and self-esteem of students with disabilities is discussed. Although the current special education system has many negative aspects, changes to the existing system rather than a movement to full inclusion will be more effective in supporting disability culture and, ultimately, the needs of children with disabilities