About the Kaiser Family Foundation

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the nation. The Foundation is an independent voice and source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the general public.

KFF develops and runs its own research and communications programs, often in partnership with outside organizations. The Foundation contracts with a wide range of outside individuals and organizations through its programs. Through our policy research and communications programs, we work to provide reliable information in a health system in which the issues are increasingly complex and the nation faces difficult challenges and choices.

The Foundation's work is focused in three main areas: Health Policy, Media and Public Education, and Health and Development in South Africa. The Foundation's headquarters are based in Menlo Park, California, and we also operate a major office and public affairs center in Washington, D.C. The Kaiser Family Foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.

The Foundation operates two major websites:
The Kaiser Family Foundation's main website (www.kff.org) provides complete access to the Foundation's reports, surveys, issue briefs, charts, and fact sheets containing in-depth analysis and the public's views on timely and critical issues such as the rising numbers of uninsured, Medicare reform, how states' fiscal situations are affecting Medicaid, rising health care costs, global HIV/AIDS, racial disparities, and women's health policy. Reports and analyses by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured are also featured.

Kaisernetwork (www.kaisernetwork.org), an online resource for non-partisan, timely, and in-depth coverage of health policy developments, debates, and discussions, provides:

• Summaries of the latest press coverage of health policy, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health
• Background information and resources on timely health policy issues
• Transcripts and live and archived webcasts of issue-based briefings, congressional hearings, and other health policy events
• Polling information on more than 300 health topics

In addition, the Foundation operates three other websites, one with state health data and policy information, one that provides the academic community with tools for teaching and learning about health care policy, and a third that provides journalists and others with global health information:

State Health Facts (www.statehealthfacts.org) provides up-to-date and easy-to-use health information and data on all 50 states, covering a broad range of topics including health insurance coverage and the uninsured, state legislative policies, Medicaid, Medicare, health care costs, prescription drugs, health status, and population demographics. The information can be displayed as tables or color-coded maps, and raw data may be downloaded for custom analyses.

KaiserEDU (www.kaiserEDU.org), provides a wealth of information that can be used as an integral part of an academic course or as an additional source for independent research. The information, compiled from the Foundation's work and from the larger health policy community, is presented in a variety of online formats, including text, graphics, slideshows, and webcasts, in order to provide a full array of multimedia tools for different methods of teaching and learning.

GlobalHealthReporting.org (www.GlobalHealthReporting.org) helps journalists, researchers, policy makers and NGOs efficiently sort through the latest and most accurate information on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The site is updated daily and provides news summaries; resources, reference libraries and the latest information and statistics; reporting resources such as media contact lists, reference materials and educational, training and grant opportunities; country-focus pages with in-depth information and resources about the three diseases; and a calendar of upcoming events and training opportunities.

health08.org (www.health08.org) serves as a hub of information about health and the election, including original content produced by Kaiser and easy access to health-related resources from the campaigns, other organizations, and news outlets. Elements of the site include: analysis of health policy issues, summaries of health reform proposals, and basic facts and information about the health system from Kaiser's research staff; Kaiser tracking surveys examining the public’s views on health issues and perceptions of the presidential candidates on health care, as well as links to the latest polls by other organizations; news summaries of election-related health policy developments; video and podcasts from the campaign trail, including candidate speeches, and health-related highlights from forums and debates; interviews with candidates and other key players in the health reform debate; dedicated pages for the candidates, with links to their health positions; and a weekly email roundup.

GlobalHealthFacts.org (www.GlobalHealthFacts.org), a companion site to GlobalHealthReporting.org, provides free, up-to-date and easy-to-access data by country on HIVAIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other key health and socio-economic indicators. The data are displayed in tables, charts, and color-coded maps and can be downloaded for custom analyses.