Georgia State University News & Events

University Relations Tip Sheet - July 22, 2008

Participation low in rarely studied health care accounts
Part of one presidential candidate’s platform for American health care reform includes expanding the benefits offered by Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). But participation in HSAs or their cousins, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), has been rarely studied and new research by a Georgia State University professor suggests workers rarely participate in them. In a study published this month in the journal Health Economics, Associate Professor of Economics James Marton and his co-author find only an 11 percent to 13 percent participation rate over three years when a FSA was offered by one employer. “It’s actually kind of surprising to me how low the participation rate is, given the potential tax savings for employees,” said Marton. If such accounts are part of future health care reform efforts, he suggests it may be difficult to ensure participation without structuring the accounts differently. “Research shows that if you require people to opt out of a program, such as the FSA program, rather than opt in you get more participation,” he said. To speak with Marton, contact Michael Davis at 404-413-1361 or mdavis6@gsu.edu.

Helping non-English speaking kindergartners learn language through drama
In 2007, 70 percent of the children who didn’t speak English at home had only minimal proficiency with the language by the end of their kindergarten year in Fulton County. Ann Cale Kruger, associate professor of educational psychology and special education, and a team of Georgia State researchers are investigating how to change this statistic. The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded a four-year, $1.1 million grant to a unique collaboration between the Alliance Theatre’s Georgia Wolf Trap program, Georgia State and Fulton County Schools. Teaching artists from the Alliance’s Georgia Wolf Trap program will coach Fulton County kindergarten teachers in drama techniques in their classroom to introduce students to the art form and build their language abilities. Teachers will also take students to performances at the Alliance Theatre to see books they’ve read come alive. Kruger will be researching how this drama intervention impacts vocabulary and grammar of English language learners. The project will serve 1,440 kindergarten students in 24 classrooms in Fulton County. “Many children who speak a language other than English at home are not succeeding in American schools,” Kruger said. “It’s a crisis that needs to be addressed.” For more information, contact Liz Babiarz at 404-413-1356 or lbabiarz@gsu.edu.

City, developers bear responsibility for Atlanta’s growth
Long commute times, high gas prices and a desire for closer proximity to cultural amenities have led to increased demand for housing inside Atlanta’s perimeter. According to the last census, the population of the city of Atlanta increased for the first time in 40 years, says Richard Laub, director of the Heritage Preservation Program at Georgia State. “Many new residents to the area are coming from cities across the U.S. that have thriving intown environments. They feel comfortable in an urban environment,” he says. “For Atlanta, this resurgence could mean an increased tax base and enhanced vitality. This will occur only as long as the city satisfies their residents’ demands for more and better goods and services and especially better schools. Young professionals and empty nesters are not so concerned with the quality of schools, but young married couples will move back to the suburbs if they are not satisfied.” Laub says it is up to the city and the development community to make sure the city’s residents stay. To speak with Laub, contact Lisa Spires at 404-413-1353 or lspires@gsu.edu.

Law professor: ADA Amendment would protect more disabled workers
If the U.S. Senate follows the House in approving the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment and the measure is signed into law, it could reverse a number of court decisions limiting who qualifies as disabled and enjoys discrimination protection. Georgia State Law Professor Wendy Hensel, who specializes in disabilities law, says vague language in the original act led courts to disqualify people with disabilities that could be managed with medication or other treatments. “Courts have interpreted these terms so restrictively that many plaintiffs with conditions commonly considered to be disabilities, like epilepsy, cancer, diabetes and mental retardation, are deemed not disabled and thus not protected under the ADA,” said Hensel. “As a result, the focus of most employment cases has been on the plaintiff’s medical status rather than the employer’s discriminatory conduct.” To speak with Hensel, contact Michael Davis at 404-413-1361 or mdavis6@gsu.edu.

Happenings at Georgia State University

Andrew Young School to host second trauma forum
The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies will host the second of three forums on trauma care in Georgia from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Aug. 6 at the Andrew Young School, 14 Marietta Street. The forum will address building an effective trauma care network through coordination and regionalization. Speakers will include the chair of the Georgia Trauma Network Commission and the Maryland state trauma coordinator. For more information, contact Beth Hawks at 404-814-1015

What is Georgia State Leads? Leads is designed and published by Georgia State's Department of University Relations to provide journalists with ideas for stories and experts to flesh them out.

Don't see what you're looking for? Call University Relations at 404-413-1354 or visit our award-winning online Experts Guide at http://www.gsu.edu/experts/