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This paper discusses the impacts of the Heritage Foundation proposal for expanding health insurance coverage. Under the proposed tax reform, the employer tax exclusion and all other deductions for health-related expenses would be repealed. A new refundable tax credit would be created for unreimbursed medical expenses. This paper is part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project.
Health News Index September/October, 1999
The September/October 1999 edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard Health News Index includes questions about major health stories covered in the news, including questions about the uninsured, Patients’ Rights and health care reform proposals by democratic presidential candidates. The survey is based on a national random sample of 1,033 Americans conducted October 8-12, 1999 which measures public knowledge of health stories covered by news media during the previous month. The Health News Index is designed to help the news media and people in the health field gain a better understanding of which health stories in the news Americans are following and what they understand about those health issues. Every two months, Kaiser/Harvard issues a new index report.
This paper explores the major policy compromises embodied in the CHIP program. It focuses on two areas: the relative control of the federal and state governments over the program, and the design of the program in relation to the private, employer-based health insurance market.This paper is part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project.
Issue Brief (.pdf)
This paper discusses ethical issues in incremental approaches to expanding health insurance coverage. Although any reduction in the number of uninsured is morally desirable, there are real moral differences between different policy options. This paper, which is part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project, examines these moral differences by identifying the values and commitments that ground the different policy options.
The report, based on an analysis of Hewitt Associates’ client database, presents new trend data on the prevalence of retiree health coverage sponsored by large employers and finds a continued erosion of retiree health benefits. The report also includes findings from a new survey assessing how large employers might change their retiree health programs in the future, and on their reaction to the Administration’s proposal to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
The Hewitt survey finds that many large employers say they would seriously consider a variety of strategies to trim retiree health costs in the next three to five years. When asked how their organization would “most likely” respond to the Administration’s proposal to add a drug benefit to Medicare, most large employers said they would “most likely” retain drug coverage for retirees age 65 and over if the administration’s plan were enacted.
Toplines
This is a copy of the results of a telephone survey conducted on a random, national sample of nearly 4,000 African American, Latino and white adults, 18 years of age and older. The questions were designed to reveal what each respondent believed about the impact of race and ethnicity on medical care today. Some questions asked about respondents’ experiences and others asked about their perceptions.
Chart Pack
This chartpack includes a number of figures that are based on the results of the survey on perceptions of, experiences with, and attitudes about racial and ethnic disparities in medical care.
Recent expansions in public health insurance for children and changes in welfare laws present states with the challenge of identifying and enrolling the large population of uninsured children in their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). This study describes and analyzes the outreach and enrollment strategies and systems in place in four states at the county level, highlighting issues and challenges states face during implementation. The study sites selected were Santa Clara County (San Jose), California; Bibb County (Macon), Georgia; Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio; and Bernalillo County (Albuquerque), New Mexico.
This document is a summary of the findings from twelve separate focus groups conducted to better understand how race and ethnic background affect medical care. Seven of the focus groups were minority American health care consumers and the other five focus groups were largely white health care professionals and hospital administrators.
In an effort to address the racial inequities in health care that exist today, the Kaiser Family Foundation brought together leading public and private sector policymakers — including health professionals, educators, civil rights leaders, and consumer organizations — to review the evidence and race and medical care and discuss what can be done to address inequities in care.
The following materials were released at the October 14, 1999, forum:
This document summarizes a literature review on the subject from 1985-1999. Research topics addressed in the report include racial disparities in heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and maternal and child health. Sentinel articles are identified and tabled in an appendix.