Children and Health Care Reform: Assuring Coverage That Meets Their Health Care Needs August 30, 2009 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the health care needs and health costs of children and analyzes the specific health care needs of two children in particular, including one with serious health challenges. The findings have implications for the health reform debate as policymakers consider minimum standards for coverage, required cost sharing…
Consumers’ Experience in Massachusetts: Lessons For National Health Reform August 30, 2009 Report This report examines the impact of state health reform efforts on the lives of ordinary people in Massachusetts, including a look at coverage provided by both public programs and private sources. It focuses specifically on people’s ability to afford and obtain needed care. Report (.pdf)
Oral Histories: Report From a Dental Fair for Uninsured Adults August 30, 2009 Report This report profiles patients attending a dental fair in rural Virginia to highlight the impact of lack of coverage for oral health services on adults. Uninsured adults have vast oral care needs, and untreated dental problems can have serious health, employment and social consequences, highlighting the relationship between inadequate benefits…
The Next 100 Days: Some Final Hurdles to Health Reform August 30, 2009 Event The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-sponsored this briefing, for reporters, to explore some of the important issues that must be settled if President Obama is to sign a meaningful health reform bill this year. Issues addressed include: Will there be a public plan option…
Health Reform: Lessons From Massachusetts August 30, 2009 Event As Congress debates comprehensive national health reform, the Kaiser Family Foundation has two reports and an updated fact sheet that examine state-level health reform in Massachusetts and the lessons it offers for policymakers in Washington. Consumers’ Experience in Massachusetts: Lessons For National Health Reform and In Pursuit of Affordable Health…
Individuals with Special Needs and Health Reform: Adequacy of Health Insurance Coverage August 30, 2009 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the health care needs and health costs of individuals with special health challenges, focusing on those with low-to-moderate incomes. It finds that even under a benefit package more generous than most offered in the private insurance market, individuals and families can face significant gaps in coverage…
Pulling it Together: This Could Be the Next Big Issue in Health Reform August 20, 2009 Perspective No, this is not about “death panels.” The town hall meetings. The media coverage of the town hall meetings. Media polls about how the American people feel about the town hall meetings. And even the media myth busting and fact checking about the most extreme claims made at the town…
Struggling With Financing: The Recession and National Health Reform Dominate State Medicaid Concerns August 6, 2009 Report The recession has squeezed state Medicaid programs between the twin pressures of rising enrollment and shrinking budgets as the economic downturn triggers both increased demand for safety-net services and a decrease in the tax revenues that state governments rely on to fund them. The report, draws on interviews with state…
How Will Uninsured Children Be Affected By Health Reform? August 1, 2009 Issue Brief This brief examines uninsured children and how they could be affected by health reform, including estimates of how many might qualify for coverage under a Medicaid expansion, how many would be eligible for subsidies and how many would not be eligible for such help. Issue Brief (.pdf)
