Posts by Pamme
CommUnity Assistance Line Launch
WellCare Launches Nationwide Community Assistance Line to Connect People to Needed Social Services TAMPA, Fla. (March 5, 2015) — WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), a leading provider of managed care services for government-sponsored health care programs, announced today that it launched a nationwide, toll-free Community Assistance Line (CAL) to help connect people to social services including financial, food, education and utility assistance, transportation, disability and homeless services, support groups and child care. WellCare’s CAL is open to the public and is a referral service that matches needs with more than 1.2 million programs and services. The...
Read MoreSocial Safety Net Sustainability
Optimal health relies heavily on the synergy among physical, emotional and environmental factors. Americans achieve optimal health, as measured by length and quality, through their lifestyles choices and access to care. Disadvantageous and vulnerable circumstances impact the availability and accessibility of healthcare and influence lifestyles choices. The federal government created the Social Safety Net to mitigate the disadvantageous and vulnerable circumstances in 1934 as part of the New Deal Initiative (Moffitt, 2013). In response to the economic challenges created by the Great Recession, the Federal government reduced funding for Social Safety Net services with...
Read MoreSocial Determinants of Health and Health Outcomes
Social barriers to accessing health care negatively impact health outcomes for low-income families contributing to the rise of health care costs in America (Lyons-Taylor, 2014). According to the University of Wisconsin Public Health Institute (UWPHI; 2013), working in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF; 2012), four health factors influence health outcomes (and the assessment of population health) as measured by morbidity (quality of life) and mortality (length of life). According to UWPHI (2012), the four factors include health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. Social factors influencing health...
Read MoreHealthConnections – Determining the Impact of Removing Social Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Among Low-Income and Disadvantaged Families
Social barriers to accessing health care negatively impact health outcomes for low-income families contributing to the rise of health care costs in America. According to the University of Wisconsin Public Health Institute (UWPHI; 2013), working in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF; 2012), four health factors influence health outcomes as measured by morbidity (quality of life) and mortality (length of life). According to UWPHI (2012), the four factors include health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. Until recently, managed care organizations participating in government programs like managed Medicaid...
Read MoreEnvironmental Justice and the Socioeconomic Status
The less someone earns, the greater the barrier to accessing healthcare services. Accessing affordable healthcare represents a challenge to low-income populations. This same challenge hinders the ability to make healthy choices in general. While not a traditional environmental risk, I would contend that social determinants of health are social as well as environmental. Low-income and disadvantaged populations struggle with prevention in two ways. First, low-income populations face challenges in accessing affordable health care options. Before for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), affordable preventive care was not readily available. Next, low-income populations...
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