Health Care Financing and Policy Research Initiative
Background
In 2003, CHRP launched a new Health Care Financing and Policy Initiative, with the goal to advise UARP in the development of a research agenda to inform policy decision making related to financing and access to quality HIV/AIDS prevention and care services in California.
This area of policy research is critical in light of the scope of the epidemic, the increased need for services and increased costs associated with HIV/AIDS care and services. The Initiative is designed to address the critical need for independent scientific research to inform decision making concerning time-sensitive issues facing policy makers in California.
Research topic areas have been selected based upon input from a Statewide Policy Advisory Group composed of key stakeholders including representatives of advocacy groups, consumers, the State Office of AIDS, counties in California, providers, community based organizations, researchers, and others. Findings from the funded research have been disseminated to stakeholders and policy-makers statewide and have been very informative in decision-making related to provision of HIV/AIDS services and care in California. Research funding under the Initiative has totaled approximately $250,000 annually.>
Research funded under the Initiative has focused on issues including:
- Studies of the cost-effectiveness and quality of California’s ADAP program, including an examination of cost savings, impact on health and patient outcomes, acceptability and achievability, and potential cost-shifting and burdens of different delivery models and possible changes in the program. (Principal Investigators: Stephen Morin, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco, and Arleen Leibowitz, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles.)
- A study to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the California HIV/AIDS Health Insurance Premium Payment Continuation Program (CARE-HIPP), and to investigate the role of continuation insurance plans in assuring access to health care for Californians with HIV/AIDS. (Principal Investigator: Arleen Leibowitz, Ph.D., UCLA).
- A study to measure the possible impact of proposals to re-design Medi-Cal on Californians with HIV/AIDS. (Principal Investigator: William Cunningham, MD, MPH, UCLA)
- Research to model the impact of Ryan White Care Act re-authorization proposals nationally, for purposes of comparison, clarity, and informing decision-making that will have an impact in California and to examine and model the impact of ‘severity of need’ indices on funding for and provision of health and social services for persons with HIV/AIDS in California, to assist in identifying areas of greatest need for HIV/AIDS services within California. (Principal Investigator: Stephen Morin, Ph.D., UCSF).
Related Resources and Initiatives
More information on these studies, including a copy of some of the models, is available at UCSF - AIDS Research Institute.
