The September Kaiser Health Tracking Poll:  Election 2008 finds that nation's economy tops the public's priority list and health care has crept up in importance as an election issue in recent months among a key voting group: political independents, who ranked it as highly as Democrats did.

In the latest installment of "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman" series, the Kaiser Family Foundation's president and CEO argues that trends in the marketplace and differences in approaches to health reform warrant more attention to a fundamental question that has not received much public discussion or debate: what do we want health insurance to be?

Two reports document how well television viewers learn and retain health information from embedded content in an episode of Grey's Anatomy and measure how prevalent health content is in popular prime time entertainment shows.

The August Kaiser Health Tracking Poll:  Election 2008 poll finds that one in four (24%) Americans continue to struggle with paying for health care.  Among the 24 percent that find paying for health care or health insurance a serious problem, those in the poorest health and those with the most need disproportionately report difficulties.  The poll also examines public perception of the major presidential candidates’ positions on health care and reform. 

In this essay from the series "Pulling It Together, from Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO examines signs of optimism among New Orleans residents who otherwise have mixed views about the pace and progress of the community's ongoing recovery efforts.

This comprehensive Kaiser Family Foundation survey (hyperlink to ContentPackagePage) of the experiences of New Orleans residents reveals a still-struggling population that gives very mixed reviews in key areas of the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Most residents feel forgotten by the nation and its leaders yet are still optimistic about their city’s future. Designed and analyzed by Foundation researchers, the survey is the second of at least three that the Foundation will conduct to track residents’ experiences and views as the city rebuilds in the aftermath of the August 2005 storm.

This survey by The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University provides a detailed look at the real life experiences and views of low-wage workers and assesses their financial challenges, including difficulties obtaining and paying for health care, their views about their financial and job situations and their hopes and expectations for the future.

Two new surveys by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health examine the pocketbook problems facing people in Ohio and Florida -- two presidential swing states -- including their struggles with gas prices, getting and keeing a well-paying job, and affording health care.

In the latest essay from the series "Pulling It Together, from Drew Altman," the Foundation’s President and CEO explores one factor important for the success of any proposal moving away from employment-based health insurance that has not received much attention to date—the public’s willingness to accept such a big change. These public attitudes are examined in the context of very different proposals to move away from an employment-based insurance system offered by both liberals and conservatives.

The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 poll finds most Americans reporting one of seven major financial issues as a result of the recent economic downturn.  Not surprisingly, with gas prices topping $4 per gallon nationally, people are most likely to cite paying for gas as a serious problem, followed by getting a well-paying job or a raise and paying for health care costs. The poll also examines Americans' views and opinions about health care costs and reforms.