Newly released survey findings show continued public support for patient protections, including the right to sue health plans, but that support erodes if people believe that the cost of health insurance may increase or that companies might stop offering health coverage to their workers. The survey found that the percentage of people reporting problems with their health plans and the urgency the public attaches to Congressional action has not changed in recent years.

Public Opinion Update, February 2000: The Public, Managed Care, and Consumer Protection (.pdf)

Past surveys and studies concerning Patients’ Rights

This chartpack highlights results from a survey of the perceptions and attitudes of 550 Black elected officials (BEOs) on HIV/AIDS issues. The survey, a collaborative effort of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Kaiser Family Foundation, interviewed elected officials from 12 states and jurisdictions that have been hard hit by the HIV epidemic. The officials were selected randomly by type of office (federal, state, county, municipal, school board, judiciary). The survey included questions on perceptions of the impact of the HIV epidemic, the adequacy of efforts to address it, and their views on proposed policy options for combating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Findings from the survey were highlighted in a supplement to the journal Minority Health Today.

• Chart Pack: Survey of Black Elected Officials On HIV/AIDS

This issue brief, prepared by Linda Blumberg and Len Nichols of the Urban Institute, examines the factors contributing to the disproportionately high rates of uninsurance among California’s workers compared to the U.S. The report looks at differences in coverage by race and ethnicity, and by citizenship status, and also examines offer and take-up rates for employer health insurance among California’s workers.

• Issue Brief

Are Schools Just Saying No

Federal and state policymakers face a major challenge in addressing the health needs of an increasingly diverse population. That challenge can be even greater in the growing number of cities and states with large immigrant communities. In a Commission-sponsored conference call on May 15, experts on immigrant health issues discussed recent findings about how the health system is and is not working for immigrants and their potential policy implications.

Audio from the conference call is available below, as well as links to information about the call and relevant reports from the Commission.

Listen to the conference call.

• Agenda
• Speaker Biographies
• Fact Sheet: Immigrants’ Health Care Coverage and Access
• Chart Pack: Immigrants’ Health Care: Coverage and Access
• Issue Paper: Is Immigration Responsible for the Growth in the Number of the Uninsured?
• Policy Brief: Medicaid Eligibility and Citizenship Status: Policy Implications for Immigrant Populations
• Background Paper: Immigrants’ Access to Health Care After Welfare Reform: Findings from Focus Groups in Four Cities
• Background Paper: Caring for Immigrants: Health Care Safety Nets in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Houston
• Link to find “Left Out: Immigrants’ Access to Health Care and Insurance”

A 4-page issue brief that looks at trends in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage in California. The brief also includes public and private sector strategies for expanding employment-based coverage, and discusses how other states have implemented incremental coverage expansions using public programs and financial incentives, with emphasis on New York State. The brief lists the panel for a California Health Policy Roundtable held in Sacramento, California on May 4, 2001.

• Issue Brief

A new Commission report of state experiences after eliminating the Medicaid asset test reveals that the action cut administrative costs, improved program efficiency, and increased access to health care.

Background Paper

Americans aren’t thinking a lot about the poor these days. A new survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government found that only about one in 10 Americans names poverty, welfare, or something similar as one of the two top issues government should address. Nevertheless, when they are asked about it directly, most Americans think that poverty is still a problem in this country, even in these generally prosperous times. However, the survey found the public is divided on why poverty is a problem and on what should be done about it. Furthermore, the survey highlights the experiences and problems of low-income Americans.Summary of Findings (.pdf)

Toplines/Survey (.pdf)

This report examines the design and implementation of California’s State Children’s Health Insurance Program (known as Healthy Families), including contracting issues, program design and administration, and access to care by adolescents and children with special health care needs. This report is one of several appearing on this website from a five-state study of CHIP implementation in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, and Utah.