The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
This issue brief, prepared as part of the National ADAP Monitoring Project, examines how ADAPs purchase and dispense drugs, and the drug discount programs that assist states in containing ADAP costs. For more information on the series see the National ADAP Monitoring Project page.
Health News Index March/April, 2002
The March/April edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health Health News Index includes questions about major health stories covered in the news, including the recent coverage of mammogram efficacy, the Institute of Medicine report on racial disparities in the health care system, and prescription drug discount cards. The Health News Index is designed to help news media and people in the health field gain a better understanding of which health stories Americans are following and what they understand about those issues.
2001 Retiree Health and Prescription Drug Coverage Survey
This survey, released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, and HRET, profiles retiree health coverage for Medicare-age (65+) retirees, including the amount retirees pay for coverage compared to active workers, cost-sharing for prescription drugs, and eligibility requirements for retiree benefits. The survey is based on the annual KFF/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey
National Survey of Small Businesses
Toplines from a new survey that finds that two-thirds of small employers say that they are dissatisfied with the cost of health care and health insurance, and about one-third of small businesses that now offer insurance say they are likely to increase the share of costs borne by employees in the next year.
Survey highlights/chartpack from a new survey that finds that two-thirds of small employers say that they are dissatisfied with the cost of health care and health insurance, and about one-third of small businesses that now offer insurance say they are likely to increase the share of costs borne by employees in the next year.
A survey finds that two-thirds of small employers say that they are dissatisfied with the cost of health care and health insurance, and about one-third of small businesses that now offer insurance say they are likely to increase the share of costs borne by employees in the next year.
The Commission initiated an examination of five states’ Medicaid programs and their overall fiscal situation in mid-2001. Below are the five state case studies.
Selected findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s forthcoming National Survey of Physicians reveal that most physicians are aware of racial disparities in medical treatment for specific conditions, but they don’t believe it is a widespread problem. In sharp contrast, African American physicians disagree with their fellow physicians with nearly eight in ten (77%) believing race and ethnicity impact how people are treated at least somewhat often. Physicians see insurance status as a key determinate of treatment within the health care system, with more than seven in ten (72%) saying that the system very or somewhat often treats people unfairly based on their health insurance status. The survey of 2,608 physicians also includes findings on views of male and female physicians and views of Asian and Latino physicians on disparities based on a variety of other demographic characteristics.
Highlights and Chartpack (.pdf)
Solvency or Affordability? Ways to Measure Medicare’s Financial Health
This report examines different ways of measuring Medicare s financial health and considers their implications for the future of the program and the people it serves. Using an alternative measure of Medicare’s long-term affordability that focuses on workers’ capacity to absorb additional costs over time, the analysis concludes that the nation could afford to pay more for Medicare in the future without imposing an undue burden on working Americans.
This issue brief examines the federal, state, and local policies that guide approaches to sex education today. It also examines recent research into community-level experiences and practices, as well as emerging evidence about the effectiveness of different types of sex education curricula.