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NEWSLETTER: MAY - AUGUST 2008
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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- Grassroots Advocacy Project
- Save The Date: Aug 22 Annual Meeting & Ethics Seminar
- In Loving Memory of William Broussard
- Student Scholarship Announcement
- Advocacy
- MEMBER UPDATE
- NEWS TO USE
CHA of Texas
Grassroots Advocacy Project for the Uninsured
May-November 2008
This project is designed to build awareness of health care issues related to the uninsured and to provide action steps for Texans concerned with the problem.
Highlights of the Project:
Gentry Woodard, Chair of the Advocacy Committee, presented the keynote address on Texas Medicaid Reform at the 2008 Texas Catholic Conference Joint Convening Poverty and Racism: Through the Lens of Homelessness, Health and Child Welfare on Monday, April 28th in San Antonio.
Newspaper articles
Radio spots
Clinics on grassroots advocacy
Presentation to groups as requested
Materials to be used
General questions answered and information provided to the public
Resources available
SAVE THE DATE: August 22, 2008
CHA of Texas will be hosting its Annual Meeting & Ethics Seminar on August 22, 2008 at the Austin Airport Marriott South.
A memorial and liturgy for Monsignor William Broussard will be held prior to the start of the seminar from 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Seminar Topics Include:
- Catholic Health Care – Laying the Foundation for the 21st
Century
Speaker: Jack Glaser, Senior Vice President for Theology & Ethics, St. Joseph Health System - Advance Directives – Meeting the Challenges
Speaker: Ron Hamel, Ph.D., Senior Director of Ethics, Catholic Health Association of the United States - Palliative Care – The Compassion Factor
Speaker: Ryan R. Nash, MD, Director, Balm of Gilead, Jefferson Clinic, P.C. - Community Benefits – Building a Strategy, Perceptions, Practices & Trends
Speaker: Michael Bilton, Executive Director, Association for Community Health Improvement - Political Environment
- Advocacy Roundtable Discussion - Trends in Catholic Health Care
View the tentative seminar agenda
In Loving Memory of William Broussard
Monsignor Reverend William Broussard died unexpectedly on March 28, 2008 in an automobile accident in Austin, Texas. Monsignor Reverend William Broussard was born in 1932 to Mr. and Mrs. William L. and Lucille C. Broussard. Monsignor was a graduate of St. Anthony’s High School in Beaumont and a graduate of St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. He was ordained a priest in 1956 for service in the Galveston-Houston Diocese. He was appointed a Monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1977. Over the next quarter century he was engaged in many important ministries across the state of Texas. Following his service in various parishes in Houston, Pasadena and Texas City he was appointed Director of the Texas Conference of Catholic Health Faculties with Offices in Austin; in this position he coordinated common interests of the 27 Catholic hospitals in Texas. In addition, Monsignor served as Assistant Director of The Texas Catholic Conference. He maintained both positions until his retirement in 2003. He is survived by his sister, Lucille M. Broussard and brother, John King and wife Diana Broussard; nephew, Kevin Broussard and niece, Kristen Broussard. Pallbearers were drawn from his Brothers in the priesthood from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the Diocese of Austin. A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, March 31, 2008 at St. Theresa Catholic Church and burial in Beaumont, Texas.
Student Scholarship Announcement
Catholic Health Association of Texas is now accepting applications for its 2008 Monsignor William Broussard Health Career Scholarship. The purpose of this scholarship is to help encourage and facilitate the education and training of Catholics pursing a career in health care.
The $1,000 annual scholarship is available to Catholic students from Catholic dioceses in the state of Texas who will be attending a university as a sophomore or above in 2008 and majoring in a concentration of classes that will lead to a career in health care – such as physicians, nursing, occupational or physical therapy, social work, hospital administration and others. A broad range of health care career paths will be considered, and scholarships of $500 will also be awarded. Applicants from any accredited college or university in Texas may apply.
Please click here for an application or contact Candise Spikes at (512) 420-00224 or cspikes@chatexas.org for more information.
ADVOCACY
Medicaid Waiver Update
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission released it’s, much anticipated, Section 1115 Waiver Request to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 16, 2008. The waiver request proposes to expand health care coverage to the uninsured based on many assumptions, and at the expense of non-profit providers by essentially re-directing safety-net dollars to subsidize low-cost health coverage. Key components of the waiver include:
A re-direction of DSH, UPL, and other Unmatched State and Local Funds
to subsidize insurance premiums through the Health Opportunity Pool (HOP)
for low-income Texans and catastrophic coverage for what was the “medically
needy” population.
Provide financial incentives for innovative programs providing charity
care
Develop new hospital uncompensated care cost and financing reporting
requirements
Allowing Medicaid and CHIP buy-in by employer sponsored markets
Supporting multi-share programs
The Catholic Health Association of Texas submitted comments on the proposed waiver, and will continue to follow the process as CMS reviews and comments on the submitted proposal.
America’s Health Insurance Crisis Worsening
A new study has revealed that America’s health insurance crisis is worsening, with more people uninsured and the cost of premiums rising 10 times faster than income for those who still have employer-provided insurance coverage. Texas continues to lead the nation in its percentage of uninsured, at 27 percent, representing 5.5 million people.
The study was compiled for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation by
the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center
and released during the RWJ Foundation’s annual “Cover the
Uninsured Week” (April 27-May 3).
The study revealed that from 2001 to 2005 the amount employees pay
to obtain coverage for their families went up 30 percent, while the
family policyholder saw an increase in income of only 3 percent during
that period.
Nationally, according to the foundation, “the average cost of family
coverage increased nearly $2,500 – from $8,281 in 2001 to $10,728
in 2005.” At the same time the percentage of the premiums paid by
employers stayed at out 24 percent.
“This study makes plain what every working parent knows – that
providing insurance coverage takes a bigger bite from the family budget
every year,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, the foundation’s
president and CEO. “There is a clear connection between the rising
cost of health care and the increasing number of uninsured Americans.
As costs continue to go up, fewer people can pay their portion of the
premium, and fewer employers are able to offer insurance benefits. This
research shows that an ever-increasing number of people will join America’s
uninsured unless our nation’s leaders act to reform our health care
system.”
Other findings show that 4.1 million fewer people held jobs in the
private sector that offered health insurance during the study period,
and 30,000 fewer private sector employers offered health insurance
benefits. From 2001 to 2005 an additional 2.4 million Americans (or
6 percent) lost their private health insurance coverage. The foundation
noted that the Census Bureau’s latest figures put the total number of uninsured
at 47 million.
Lavizzo-Mourey said, “With our economy sputtering, more than 47
million people already uninsured and millions more worried about losing
their coverage, the plight of the uninsured cannot continue to be ignored.
These are Americans who are worried about their future. When millions
of Americans lack stable, affordable coverage, it affects all of us. We
all need a solution.”
The study’s 2001-2005 state-by-state breakdown includes these facts
about Texas:
With 5.5 million (27 percent) uninsured, Texas leads the nation.
In Texas, average total family premium per enrolled private sector
employee went up by 39.7 percent while median income rose by 3.51 percent.
The number of individuals under 65 with private coverage decreased
by 7.5 percent in Texas.
The study, along with the RWJ Foundation’s announcement, may be
found at their web site: www.rwjf.org.
MEMBER UPDATE
Providence Healthcare Network introduces new technology to the nation
Providence Healthcare Network is proud to announce the installation of a new AXIOM Artis Zee angiography system, the first of its kind in the entire nation. Developed by Siemens Medical Solutions, the new AXIOM Artis Zee, located in the interventional radiology lab, provides physicians with highly detailed images of patients’ blood vessels during diagnostic and treatment procedures.
The Artis angiography system fully encompasses the newest state of the
art technology including a form of flat-panel detectors, which enable
physicians to obtain three-dimensional images in high resolution, without
the distortion common with conventional X-ray techniques.
Seton Named Among Top 100 U.S. Healthcare Systems
The Seton Family of Hospitals has been named the highest-ranked healthcare system in Texas and among the top 100 integrated healthcare systems nationwide by Verispan, a healthcare data and consulting firm that ranks healthcare systems by efficiency and performance. The Verispan 2008 IHN 100 recognizes healthcare systems that operate as a unified organization in eight categories:
- integration,
- integrated technology,
- contractual capabilities,
- outpatient utilization,
- financial stability,
- services and access,
- hospital utilization, and
- physicians.
Seton ranked higher than the top-10 average nationally for services, access and financial stability.
“It’s a privilege to be recognized as the highest-ranked healthcare system in Texas, not to mention being among some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious healthcare networks,” said Charles J. Barnett, Seton’s president and chief executive officer. “We strive every day to provide the best quality care possible for the communities we serve and this type of honor provides valuable recognition for the work that our incredible staff does day-in and day-out.”
NEWS TO USE
CHA of USA 2008 Assembly will be held from June 22-24, 2008
This year’s event, The Future of Compassion, will be held in San Diego, CA at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel. The 2008 Catholic Health Assembly will look out over the horizon to consider the opportunities and threats that lie ahead.
Plan now to attend the 2008 assembly. You will hear futuristic, inspiring, poignant presentations from distinguished keynote speakers and share expertise from across our ministry in the Innovation Forum. The assembly is our chance to renew, re-energize and recommit to our mission as we face the future.
Overall Assembly Objectives
- Describe potential opportunities and challenges for the Catholic health ministry that may result from biomedical and technological advancements, as well as globalization and political changes.
- Discuss the critical value of compassion in health care, particularly as technology continues to expand medical science, and identify ways for caregivers to sustain compassion in the service they offer.
- Replicate innovative, leading program-specific tools, strategies and practices — implemented by other systems/facilities — within their own organizations.
For more information on the assembly or to register go to http://www.chausa.org/Pub/MainNav/Events/Assembly/08splash.htm