Kentucky

In 2004, Kentucky was awarded HRSA State Planning Grant funds. The grant was a collaborative effort between the Kentucky Office of Rural Health, the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Center, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kentucky. The grant team:

• Conducted research (household and employer survey);
• Facilitated public forums on access to health insurance; and
• Convened a one-day collaborative conference with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky called "Prescription for Change." This conference engaged stakeholders, policymakers, and the media, and was televised on Kentucky Educational Television.

In 2006 the grant team:

• Surveyed Kentuckians aged 65 and older about underinsurance and the Medicare part D implementation in response to learning that the insured in Kentucky are particularly concerned with out-of-pocket costs;
• Surveyed local governments, county and city, about recent cost increases for health insurance and the impact on employees and affordability;
• Conducted focus groups with providers of care for the uninsured; and
• Examined the costs to Kentucky’s health care and justice system resulting from inadequate health care coverage for mental health and substance abuse.