In recent years, there has been a big increase in new electronic media products for very young children, including those as young as one month old. A driving force behind this new market is the advertising and package labeling that makes claims about the educational benefits of specific products. examines the educational claims about commercially available educational media products (videos and DVDs, computer software, and video games) for very young children and what kind of research has been conducted to substantiate the educational claims.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

HIV Prevention in Complex, Macro-scale SocietiesA Report of the CSIS Task Force on HIV/AIDS Working Committee on Prevention

This report from The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Task Force on HIV/AIDS Working Committee on Prevention, in collaboration with the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges for HIV prevention efforts in “second wave” countries – countries that currently have low- to mid-level HIV prevalence but stand on the brink of major epidemics, such as China, India, Russia, Ethiopia and Nigeria. The report was authored by the co-chairs of the Task Force’s Working Committee on Prevention, Jennifer Kates, vice president and director of HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Phillip Nieburg, senior associate at CSIS.

Report: HIV Prevention in Complex, Macro-scale Societies (.pdf)

An article based on this paper appeared in the September/October 2005 edition of Global AIDSLink, a publication of the Global Health Council.

Article: An Overview of “Second Wave” Countries (.pdf)

This focus group of 12 state Medicaid officials conducted in November 2005 explores the current status and likely results of the Part D dual eligible transition efforts as well as other Part D-related issues of particular importance to states. It includes discussion of the transition of dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare drug coverage, evaluating Part D plan options, states’ role in the low-income subsidy program, the fiscal implications of Part D to states, and the longer term policy implications at both the state and federal levels of the Part D implementation.

Report (.pdf)

Executive Summary (.pdf)

January 2005 Focus Group Report

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured convened a focus group of state Medicaid officials in November 2005 to discuss the impact of the new Medicare drug program on states and Medicaid enrollees. State insights on the transition of dual eligibles and some beneficiary experiences are discussed in new material and an audio briefing.

Podcast: December 19, 2005 Conference Call Briefing (Downloadable Audio File)

Presentations from the December 19, 2005 Conference Call Briefing (.pdf)

An Implementation Perspective On Part D, The Medicare Prescription Drug Program

Profiles of Medicare Beneficiaries With Medicaid Drug Coverage Prior to the Medicare Drug Benefit (.pdf)

In recent years, there has been a big increase in new electronic media products for very young children, including those as young as one month old. A driving force behind this new market is the advertising and package labeling that makes claims about the educational benefits of specific products. A Teacher in the Living Room? Educational Media for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers examines the educational claims about commercially available educational media products (videos and DVDs, computer software, and video games) for very young children and what kind of research has been conducted to substantiate the educational claims.

The issue brief was released at a briefing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 that included a panel discussion featuring: Gary Knell, president and CEO, Sesame Workshop; Marcia Grimsley, senior producer, Brainy Baby videos; Julia Fitzgerald, vice president of marketing, VTech; Suzanne Barchers, Ed.D., editor-in-chief and vice president, LeapFrog; Sandra Calvert, director, Children’s Digital Media Center, and professor, Georgetown University; Warren Buckleitner, editor, Children’s Technology Review; and Dimitri Christakis, M.D., pediatrician at Children’s Hospital in Seattle and professor, University of Washington.

Agenda

Speaker Biographies

Issue Brief — A Teacher in the Living Room? Educational Media for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

This issue brief provides an overview of the federal budget context and then highlights key Medicaid savings proposals in the House and Senate bills and discusses the implications of the proposed changes.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

Updated Issue Brief – Medicaid and Budget Reconciliation: Implications of the Conference Report (January 2006)

A new survey by the San Jose Mercury News and the Kaiser Family Foundation provides an in-depth look at workers in the Bay Area, their professional and financial challenges, and their views of the area’s job market and quality of life. The Bay Area Employment Survey is a joint project of the San Jose Mercury News and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Representatives of the two organizations worked together to develop the survey questionnaire and analyze the results. Results are presented in the San Jose Mercury News in a two-day series of articles. Each organization bears sole responsibility for the work that appears under its name. The survey involved 1,721 adults age 18-64, who were selected at random. All respondents live in the Bay Area of California, which was defined as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties.

Survey Toplines (.pdf)

Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2005 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits

The 2005 Kaiser/Hewitt survey of large businesses that provide retiree health benefits to their workers assesses their responses to the new Medicare drug benefit in 2006, their plans for the future, and the way these changes affect retirees. It also looks at the rising costs and changing benefits of retiree health coverage overall in 2005.

News Release

Report

Chartpack

Materials from the December 7, 2005 Briefing:

Agenda

Speaker Biographies

Audiocast and Transcript

See more recent retiree health benefits surveys.

Prospects for Retiree Health Benefits as Medicare Drug Coverage Begins:Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2005 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits – Chartpack

This chartpack presents key data from the 2005 Kaiser/Hewitt survey of large businesses that provide retiree health benefits to their workers.

Chartpack (.pdf)

Prospects for Retiree Health Benefits as Medicare Drug Coverage Begins:Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2005 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits – Report

This report assesses how large businesses that provide retiree health benefits to their workers are responding to the new Medicare drug benefit in 2006, their plans for the future, and the way these responses affect retirees. It also looks at the rising costs and changing benefits of retiree health coverage overall in 2005.

Full Report (.pdf)

Executive Summary (.pdf)

Section 1: Retiree Health Coverage (.pdf)

Section 2: Retiree Health Benefit Design and Prescription Drug Benefits (.pdf)

Section 3: Retiree Health Costs (.pdf)

Section 4: Premiums (.pdf)

Section 5: Changes Made by Large Employers Between 2004 and 2005 (.pdf)

Section 6: Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit and Retiree Health (.pdf)

Appendix: Methods (.pdf)