KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
National Council of Jewish Women features article on “Diagnosing Women’s Health Care”
Kaiser Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy, Alina Salganicoff, authored an article titled “Diagnosing Women’s Health Care” featured in the National Council of Jewish Women’s magazine, NCJW Journal, volume 29. The article highlights the special challenges that many women face in affording and accessing comprehensive health care in the U.S. It discusses the state of women’s health coverage, emerging issues for women in Medicaid and Medicare and the potential effects of “consumer-directed” health plans on women.
These toplines include selected findings from the June 2006 Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey, a bimonthly survey designed to provide key tracking information on public opinion about health care topics.
Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey: Seniors’ Early Experiences With Their New Medicare Drug Plans – June 2006
More than eight in 10 seniors who are enrolled in a Medicare drug plan are satisfied with their plan, although almost two in 10 say they encountered a major problem in using it, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking survey of seniors’ experiences under the new Medicare drug benefit.
The survey of 1,585 seniors, including 623 who are enrolled in a new Medicare Part D drug plan, reveals that, for most seniors, initial experiences under the drug benefit have been positive. About three in four seniors who are enrolled in a drug plan would choose the same plan again.
The survey also finds that about a third (34%) of seniors who have used their plan had experiences that they perceived as a problem — with 18% describing it as a “major problem” and 16% describing it as a “minor problem.” The experiences cited as problems include having to pay unexpected costs, leaving the pharmacy without being able to fill a prescription, not receiving their enrollment card and having to switch drugs because one wasn’t covered. Some seniors also cited having to switch from a brand-name to a generic drug as a problem, though others who reported such an experience did not consider it to be a problem.
Seniors’ Early Experiences With Their Medicare Drug Plans — the 13th in a series that comprises three large surveys and ten smaller tracking polls — was conducted and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Fieldwork by PSRAI occurred between June 8 and June 18, 2006, among a nationally representative random sample of 1,585 adults ages 65 and older. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.
Access to employer-sponsored health insurance is declining for all families living in the United States, and this problem is especially acute for immigrant families. Employer-sponsored coverage is a particularly important source of insurance for immigrant families since their eligibility for public coverage through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is restricted. This primer examines the role of employer-based coverage for immigrants and the specific hurdles they face in obtaining this coverage.
Concerned about the high rates of childhood obesity in the U.S., policymakers in Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and agencies such as the Institute of Medicine have explored a variety of potential contributing factors, including the marketing and advertising of food products to children. One area where policymakers have expressed interest, but have also noted a lack of publicly available data, is in the realm of online food marketing to children.
The Kaiser Family Foundation released the first comprehensive analysis of the nature and scope of online food advertising to children to help inform the decision making process for policymakers, advocates and industry experts. The report, It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children, found that more than eight out of ten (85%) of the top food brands that target children through TV advertising also use branded websites to market to children online.
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 created a new Medicaid Integrity Program to increase the government’s capacity to prevent, detect and address fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program. The new initiative represents the most significant single, dedicated investment the federal government has made in ensuring the integrity of the Medicaid program and offers an opportunity to ensure the efficient administration of the program and promote sound stewardship of state and federal resources.
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured convened a meeting of experts in early May to discuss issues and opportunities created by the new integrity initiative. This new report discusses six key issues identified by the group of experts as facing the federal government and states as development and implementation of the Medicaid Integrity Program begins.
Concerned about the high rates of childhood obesity in the U.S., policymakers in Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, and agencies such as the Institute of Medicine have explored a variety of potential contributing factors, including the marketing and advertising of food products to children. One area where policymakers have expressed interest, but have also noted a lack of publicly available data, is in the realm of online food marketing to children.
The Kaiser Family Foundation released the first comprehensive analysis of the nature and scope of online food advertising to children to help inform the decision making process for policymakers, advocates, and industry experts. The report, It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children, found that more than eight out of ten (85%) of the top food brands that target children through TV advertising also use branded websites to market to children online.
This fact sheet highlights key information about the education, health and overall status of young African American men, including comparisons to other groups. It was released at a July 2006 event, “Paths to Success: A Forum on Young African American Men.”
