Transcript (.pdf) On Wednesday, March 25, the Kaiser Family Foundation held a live, interactive webcast to examine the economic downturn’s impact on health care in communities of color as part of its Today’s Topics In Health Disparities series. Rising unemployment has left many families uninsured and increasingly strained family finances…

This brief provides an overview of how states currently reimburse providers and the challenges for Medicaid providers that have emerged from the pandemic and state budget issues. It presents new data on state actions to date to help bolster Medicaid providers dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and discusses support available for Medicaid providers from the federal provider relief fund.

Embargoed for release until: November 10, 2005, 9:30 a.m. E.T. For further information contact: Craig Palosky, (202) 347-5270 or cpalosky@kff.org Larry Levitt, (650) 854-9400 or llevitt@kff.org AS ENROLLMENT BEGINS, NEW SURVEY UNDERSCORES CHALLENGES IF SENIORS ARE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT Many Seniors Say They Don’t Understand the…

The Medicaid program covers 74 million low-income Americans, including many of the poorest and sickest people in our society. Among those served are pregnant women and children, parents and other adults, poor seniors, and people with disabilities. Given Medicaid’s major coverage role and the complex needs of the populations it covers, data and evidence on access to care and health outcomes in Medicaid are of key interest. Such an assessment is also important to ensure that debate about the effectiveness of the Medicaid program is grounded in facts and analysis. This Data Note discusses what the research shows.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires most private health insurance plans to provide coverage for a broad range of preventive services, including most contraceptives for women. This policy was at the center of a Supreme Court case brought forward by for-profit corporations (Hobby Lobby and Conestoga) that successfully claimed that the contraceptive coverage requirement violated their religious rights. Last month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear yet another challenge (Zubik v Burwell) to the contraceptive coverage requirement, this time brought by nonprofit corporations, claiming that the accommodation established by the federal government for religiously affiliated nonprofit employers with objections to contraception violates their religious rights.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 For further information contact: Craig Palosky, KFF, (202) 347-5270 Robin Herman, HSPH, (617) 432-4752 Chris Murphy, BCBSMA, (617) 246-4851 POLL FINDS MOST MASS. RESIDENTS SUPPORT NEW HEALTH REFORM LAW, INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL MANDATE, AS INITIAL DEADLINE NEARS The Main Reason: They Believe It is “the Right Thing…

The Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision by the end of June, 2014 on the cases brought forth by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, two for profit corporations challenging the ACA’s contraceptive coverage requirement. The plaintiffs contend that the requirement that they include coverage for certain contraceptive services (emergency contraceptive pills and intrauterine devices) in the insurance plans “substantially burdens” both the corporation’s and the owners’ religious rights. During the arguments, several of the justices discussed the extent to which the corporations did or not did not have a choice in offering coverage to their workers. In this brief, we explore some of the factors influencing coverage decisions and possible consequences for women and employers given possible Supreme Court decision options: either upholding the contraceptive coverage requirement, or in favor of Hobby Lobby.

Embargoed for release until:Friday, December 8, 2006For further information contact:Craig Palosky, cpalosky@kff.org, (202) 347-5270Larry Levitt, llevitt@kff.org, (650) 854-9400New Poll Finds Broad Support Among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans for Drug Price Negotiation, Reimportation, and Prioritizing Children for Coverage of the Uninsured…Views on Stem Cells More MixedPublic Sees Health Care Prices as…

June 5, 2006, marks twenty-five years since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first warning about an emerging illness that soon became known as AIDS. In recognition of this day, the Kaiser Family Foundation is releasing several new and updated resources:Evolution of an Epidemic: 25 Years…

As Many Americans Would Like To Keep or Expand Health Reform Law As Would Like To Repeal Or Replace It, And Most Oppose Defunding Implementation Public Concerned About The Deficit But A Majority Opposes Cutting Medicare And Social Security And Nearly Half Are Against Cutting Medicaid WASHINGTON – Though the…