Abstract: Illinois is the sixth largest state with a population of 12,295,000, based on 1998 U.S. Census Bureau data. According to that report, approximately 15 percent were uninsured in 1998. In FY 2000, Illinois was awarded a $1.2 million grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration to effectively address the problem of the uninsured in Illinois. Upon analysis of existing data from the Census Bureau Current Population Study (CPS) and other sources, Illinois recognized that program design and evaluation would require a more detailed, routinely-available data source yielding information about characteristics of both the uninsured and the health insurance marketplace. Illinois elected to enhance its Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to include questions concerning insurance availability and coverage issues. These data provided a solid baseline against which trends in insurance status and access to affordable insurance in Illinois could be monitored, in conjunction with other monitoring tools such as the March Supplement of the CPS. In addition, the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN), a community-directed assessment tool and planning process that establishes health care priorities at a local level, provided information to identify communities that prioritized access to health care as a significant community health problem and involve local representatives in the design of policies to address the needs of the uninsured.
Learning Objectives: Session participants will learn how the IPLAN data and an enhancement of the BRFSS informed the design of policies to address the needs of the uninsured in Illinois.
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Information Databases
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Illinois Department of Public Health
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.