This guide for physicians provides resource assistance primary care physicians need to help patients identify risks and to support them in changing their behavior to reduce or eliminate risk of HIV infection. Developing synergies with public and community-based organizations can help physicians confidently refer patients who need further education or counseling. Referral can also help patients maximize their chances for successful risk reduction while creating more time for primary care physicians to focus on other health concerns.

• Report:

The Four Americas: Government and Social Policy Through the Eyes of America’s Multi-racial and Multi-ethnic Society

This report is the first of a series of surveys conducted jointly by The Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University examining public knowledge, values and beliefs on major issues and challenges facing our nation, such as race, poverty, reducing the deficit, the role of government in our society, and our nation’s obligations in the world. The hope is that this initiative will contribute to a better understanding of public knowledge and perspectives on these important issues, and to more effective efforts by the media to educate, inform, and engage citizens in national debates.

This first survey focused on how the perspectives of different racial and ethnic groups shaped their attitudes toward social policy and the role of government in America. A reprint of the series as it appeared in The Washington Post October 8-11, 1995 is also available (#1098), and also is included in this report.

• Report

This report analyzes trends in Medicare expenditures and considers options to modify the program to control its spending growth. It represents an effort to put in context the types of changes being discussed in the ongoing budget debate and to raise cautions, where appropriate, about various strategies.

• Report: Searching For Savings In Medicare

The “New” Health Reform and Access to Care: The Problem in the Inner-City

This report examines issues regarding access to care for vulnerable populations. It presents a picture of urban America from 1970 to 1990 and raises strong concerns about the benefits of “new reform” strategies.

• Report: The “New” Health Reform and Access to Care: The Problem of the Inner City

The Impact of the “Medigrant” Plan on the Federal Payments to States

The analysis examines the conference agreement plan for the redistribution of federal funds under a block grant for the Medicaid program. It also discusses the implications of the reductions in federal spending for beneficiary coverage.

• Report: The Impact Of The “Medigrant” Plan On Federal Payments To States

A side-by-side comparison of H.R. 2491, the Seven Year Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995, and S. 1357 Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995.

• Report: Medicare Provisions Of The House And Senate Budget Bills: A Side-by-Side Comparison…

Public Attitudes Toward Welfare and Reform: A Focus Group Report

This focus group report provides further insight on some of the findings from a nationwide survey on welfare released by the Kaiser Family Foundation in March 1995 (#1045). This survey suggests that citizens are more concerned with the moral underpinnings of the current welfare system than with the amount of tax money used for the program, and found participant agreement on the importance of job training, education and child care programs.

• Report: Public Attitudes Toward Welfare and Welfare Reform

Federal Dollars and State Flexibility: The Debate Over Medicaid’s Future

This journal article provides a basic overview of the Medicaid program and discusses the implications of a block grant to Medicaid and its beneficiaries.

• Report: Federal Dollars and State Flexibility: The Debate Over Medicaid’s Future

Neil Gilbert, Professor of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, and Bernice Sandler, Senior Scholar in Residence, National Association for Women in Education, offer differing opinions as to the true extent of the problem of sexual assault in the United States. Gilbert charges that an overly broad definition of sexual assault has resulted in as exaggeration of the problem in this country; Sandler claims just the opposite is true. Both present compelling arguments as the basis for their viewpoints. Seminar participants reflect on the experts’ opinions and attempt to find common ground in this sensitive area. This publication was produced as part of an ongoing seminar series, jointly sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute for PublicPolicy Research (AEI), on “Sexuality and American Social Policy.”

• Report: An Examination of Sexual Assault Statistics

This policy brief provides a summary of Medi-cal (California’s Medicaid program) and explores what impact Congressional Medicaid changes may have on California.

• Policy Brief: Medicaid In California: The Impact Of Congressional Medicaid Changes