Morrison Institute for Public Policy Publications Archives

This report follows The Coming of Age report produced in 2002 by some of the principals involved in this project, and published by St. Luke’s Health Initiatives. That research showed that Arizona had much to do to get ready for the baby boomer age wave. The results of Unlocking Resilience from new survey data, interviews, and secondary research indicates Arizona still has much to do to prepare for aging and must make concrete policy decisions about aging.

High costs alone are enough to make anyone dizzy. How can health care and health insurance be understood now when tight budgets are presenting tougher and tougher choices to individuals and policy makers? One answer is to step back and take another look at what quality research says about the costs and benefits of health and health insurance and match those facts and figures with experiences among Arizonans. This report does just that. It also presents recommendations that could help Arizona fare better in the coming years. Money may make the world go round, but choices determine the future. In addition to reviews of state and national economic studies, focus groups and interviews were held with metro Phoenix and metro Tucson residents who did not have, or recently lost, health insurance. Participants’ own words are used throughout the report to illustrate a variety of research findings.

Aging affects all dimensions of our society, but none so much as health care. Thus, St. Luke’s Health Initiatives (SLHI) decided to dedicate part of its Arizona Health Futures program to exploring Arizona’s capacity to meet the health care demands of an aging population. SLHI asked the Arizona State University School of Public Affairs and Morrison Institute for Public Policy to collaborate on The Coming of Age to inform Arizona’s policy leaders and residents about these critical issues. The Coming of Age engaged demographers, economists, public policy analysts, human service and medical professionals and citizens. Through its research, the team developed a realistic picture of Arizona’s "capacity to care" for an elder population. The results of the research are presented in The Coming of Age: Aging, Health and Arizona’s Capacity to Care.

St. Luke's Health Initiatives and the Flinn Foundation strive to make Arizona a better place to live for all of its residents. Despite our state's assets, Arizona has many issues to address, with health and poverty among the most important. Our organizations have been pleased to sponsor the state capacity research that provided the background and impetus for "More Promises to Keep: Sustaining Arizona's Capacity for Welfare and Health Reform." St. Luke's Health Initiatives and the Flinn Foundation view the information and analysis provided in this report as a good way to stimulate discussion of health and welfare policy options and community actions. Research and dialogue are essential steps in the process of constructive change, as is communication with the public. We urge readers to consider the ideas presented in this paper and to continue to work together to improve the health and welfare of all Arizonans.

A movement of the magnitude required for Arizona to become truly competitive in science, engineering and medical research needs a compass. The vision statement presented in the 2002 Flinn-Battelle "Roadmap" report was just that. Given Arizona’s progress in bioscience and scientific research since then, the challenges for 2006 and beyond are to achieve that original vision and also to expand the state’s aspirations. The pathway provided in this document presents ten fundamental, collaborative steps for navigating toward this goal.