This issue brief, updated for a Capitol Hill Briefing Series on women’s health issues, assesses women’s coverage of gynecologi

Complete Survey Toplines for the Kaiser Health News Index: 2000

The Kaiser Health News Index is designed to provide key tracking information on public opinion about health care topics to journalists, policymakers and the general public.

January/February

March/April

May/June

July/August

September/October

November/December

A study of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, and Utah CHIP programs show that the states have features in place for special needs children, but problems of provider availability and service authorization did sometimes occur. This is the first in a series of reports on implementation issues and challenges in the first year of CHIP.

Health News Index November/December, 2000

The November/December 2000 edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health, Health News Index includes questions about how closely the public is following major health stories covered in the news during November. It also includes a year 2000 summary of the stories Americans followed most closely and looks specifically at gender and age differences in attentiveness to health news stories. Every two months, Kaiser/Harvard issues a new index report.

• HNI November-December 2000
• Topline/Survey

This survey of Americans by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) shows that the recent attention to medical errors may have entered the public’s consciousness since it is now among the public’s leading measures of health care quality. The survey also found that the public is more likely to rely on recommendations of friends, family and health professionals they know than on existing standardized quality indicators. Few people are currently going online to find information about the quality of providers, but over one in four say they would be likely to turn to the web in the future for such information.

• Chartbook: Survey Highlights
• Toplines/Survey

Immigrants’ Access to Health Care After Welfare Reform: Findings from Focus Groups in Four Cities

A new analysis of focus groups in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Antonio reveal immigrants’ knowledge of and attitudes toward public programs such as Medicaid and CHIP. Themes explored include current health coverage, participation in programs, barriers to enrollment, and access to care.

• Report

Gynecological services are vital for women throughout their lifetimes. Pap smears, breast exams, counseling, and contraceptive care are important preventive services, but women often do not get these at levels recommended by experts. This fact sheet summarizes coverage of gynecological care and contraceptives. It focuses on women’s use of services, types of providers, and types of insurance. Special emphasis is given to uninsured women and those with Medicaid coverage.

• Fact Sheet:

Topline Results

The Vital Signs Index is a monthly nationally representative survey of women on health policy issues. The results of the survey will inform the news segments and be made available to a wider audience of policy makers, health industry leaders, advocates and journalists.

Vital Signs Index Survey Topline

This background paper discusses the coverage of prescription drugs through the Medicaid program. Some of the issues addressed include who is eligible to receive drugs, how drug coverage is paid for, and how much money states spend on drugs.

• Background Paper

As part of an on-going public information partnership called SexSmarts, seventeen and the Kaiser Family Foundation conduct nationally-representative surveys of teens 15 to 17 on issues related to their sexual health.

This survey examines teens’ knowledge and attitudes about “safer sex” and contraception (November 2000).Summary of Findings (.pdf)Toplines/Survey (.pdf)