This October 2007 tracking poll finds health care ranks second behind Iraq as an issue that the public wants the candidates to talk about.  The rankings hold not only for Democrats and independents, but also for Republicans.

When asked to name the two issues that they want to hear the presidential candidates talk about, people overall are most likely to name Iraq (44 percent), followed by health care (38 percent), the economy (18 percent) and immigration (12 percent).  Among Republicans, 30 percent name health care as one of the top two issues – the highest share recorded for that group since the tracking poll began in March 2007.

The poll also examines the specific aspects of health care that the public wants candidates to address, as well as their perceptions of the presidential candidates on health issues.

This latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008, the fourth in a series, was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation. A nationally representative random sample of 1,204 adults was interviewed by telephone between October 1 and October 10, 2007. The margin of sampling error for the survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points; for results based on subgroups, the sampling error is higher.

Key Findings

Topline

Medicaid Enrollment and Spending Trends

This fact sheet summarizes trends of enrollment and spending in the Medicaid program from 2000 to 2006.

Fact Sheet, October 2007 (.pdf)

Previous Versions:

May 2006 (.pdf)

June 2005 (.pdf)

February 2001 (.pdf)

September 1999 (.pdf)

October 1998 (.pdf)

As Tough Times Wane, States Act to Improve Medicaid Coverage and Quality: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008

The annual 50-state survey of state officials on Medicaid and state budget actions reports enrollment in Medicaid declined for the first time in nearly a decade. The 0.5 percent enrollment decline in fiscal year 2007 was driven primarily by two factors. States reported that the new citizenship documentation requirements were causing significant delays in processing applications, affecting mostly individuals already eligible for the program. State officials also cited the good economy and lower unemployment for reducing enrollment. Faced with an improving economy, 42 states expect to expand coverage to the uninsured in the next year.

Executive Summary (.pdf)

Full Report (.pdf)

This report from The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Task Force on HIV/AIDS, in collaboration with the Kaiser Family Foundation, examines the current global HIV prevention response by the United States under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and outlines challenges to opportunities for heightening a focus on HIV prevention in the next phase of the U.S. response.

Report (.pdf)

These toplines present detailed survey results from an October 2007 survey conducted jointly by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health on the public’s views and opinions of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and the pending legislation surrounding its reauthorization.

Toplines (.pdf)

This summary provides an overview of the results of an October 2007 survey conducted jointly by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health on the public’s views and opinions of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and the pending legislation surrounding its reauthorization.

Summary (.pdf)

Why Did Medicaid Spending Decline in 2006? A Detailed Look at Program Spending and Enrollment, 2000-2006

This issue brief finds that Medicaid spending declined for the first time in the program’s 40-plus year history in Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, falling by 0.2 percent. The two major factors that underlie the 2006 decline, in addition to a more limited effect of the slowdown in per enrollee spending growth for a few key services, were the 2005 Medicare Modernization Act’s creation of a new Medicare drug benefit that shifted the cost of prescription drugs for dual eligibles from Medicaid and a dramatic reduction in enrollment growth.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

The to extend the SCHIP program was passed with bi-partisan support in the Congress and vetoed by the President on October 3, 2007. This brief provides an overview of SCHIP and of key provisions in CHIPRA.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

This October 2007 survey conducted jointly by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health examines the public’s views and opinions of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the pending legislation surrounding its reauthorization. The survey assesses the public’s familiarity with the SCHIP debate, whether or not they support the renewal and expansion of the program, and who they believe should be eligible for health coverage through SCHIP. NPR is reporting findings from the poll in its coverage of the SCHIP reauthorization on its news magazines Morning Edition, The Bryant Park Project and All Things Considered.

The survey is part of a series of projects about health-related issues by NPR, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Representatives of the three organizations worked together to develop the survey questionnaire and to analyze the results, with NPR maintaining editorial control over its broadcasts on the surveys.

The poll was conducted after President Bush vetoed legislation to reauthorize and expand SCHIP. A nationally representative sample of 1,527 adults were interviewed from Oct. 8 to Oct. 13. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample.

Summary

Chartpack

Toplines

This chartpack presents key findings from an October 2007 survey conducted jointly by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health on the public’s views and opinions of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and the pending legislation surrounding its reauthorization.

Chartpack (.pdf)