The 50 state survey of enrollment simplification and renewal procedural reforms, shows that states continue to take steps to transform the Medicaid program from its origins as a welfare-based program into something resembling a more traditional health insurance program.

• Report (.pdf)

>>All 50-State Children’s Health Coverage Reports

Welfare and Work: How Do They Affect Parents’ Health Care Coverage?

This fact sheet presents an overview of issues involving health care coverage for parents who are shifting from welfare to the workforce.

• Fact Sheet

This issue paper reveals that after three years of relatively slow spending growth, Medicaid spending accelerated in 1999 and 2000, and more rapid growth appears likely to continue. Medicaid spending grew by 7.1 percent ind FY 1999 and 8.6 percent in FY 2000.

New NPR/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard Kennedy School of Government Survey on Health Care

A new survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government finds that many Americans have real problems when it comes to accessing and paying for health care, and even if they haven’t yet faced a problem, many worry about getting and paying for care in the future. The survey also shows that, while people think helping seniors with the cost of prescription drugs should be a priority, most seniors would not be willing to pay significantly more than they pay now for drug coverage under Medicare.

• Chart Pack

A new survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government finds that many Americans have real problems when it comes to accessing and paying for health care, and even if they haven’t yet faced a problem, many worry about getting and paying for care in the future. The survey also shows that, while people think helping seniors with the cost of prescription drugs should be a priority, most seniors would not be willing to pay significantly more than they pay now for drug coverage under Medicare.

• Toplines/Survey

NPR/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard Kennedy School of Government Survey on Health Care

A survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government finds that many Americans have real problems when it comes to accessing and paying for health care, and even if they haven’t yet faced a problem, many worry about getting and paying for care in the future. The survey also shows that, while people think helping seniors with the cost of prescription drugs should be a priority, most seniors would not be willing to pay significantly more than they pay now for drug coverage under Medicare.

• Summary of Findings
• Chart Pack
• Toplines/Survey
• View results and listen to stories about the survey on NPR’s website

New NPR/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard Kennedy School of Government Survey on Health Care

A new survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government finds that many Americans have real problems when it comes to accessing and paying for health care, and even if they haven’t yet faced a problem, many worry about getting and paying for care in the future. The survey also shows that, while people think helping seniors with the cost of prescription drugs should be a priority, most seniors would not be willing to pay significantly more than they pay now for drug coverage under Medicare.

• Summary of Findings

Sicker and Poorer: The Consequences of Being Uninsured

A new report by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured synthesizes the major findings of the past 25 years of health services research assessing the most important effects of health insurance. The report evaluates thousands of citations and 230 research articles to assess the consequences of being uninsured for health status and economic opportunity and concludes that the weight of this large body of research makes a compelling case that health insurance does lead to improved health and better access to care.

The major findings from the paper include:

• The uninsured receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care (drugs and surgical interventions);
• Having health insurance would reduce mortality rates for the uninsured by 10 15 percent; and
• Better health would improve annual earnings by about 10 – 30 percent (depending on measures and specific health condition) and would increase educational attainment.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report
• Briefing Charts

This chartbook provides information on key trends in the health care marketplace including health spending, the structure of the health care marketplace, and health plan and provider relationships. It highlights data on health plan enrollment, premiums, and benefits, and the implications of health market trends for consumers and the safety net.

Chartbook (.pdf)

This policy brief describes the financing of Illinois’ new Medicaid prescription drug waiver.

• Policy Brief
• Also see The New Medicaid and CHIP Waiver Initiatives