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KFF’s policy research provides facts and analysis on a wide range of policy issues and public programs.
KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the organization’s core operating programs.
This chartbook provides an overview of health care spending and trends in health plan enrollment. It highlights health insurance premiums and costs, health insurance benefits, the structure of the health care market. Data on the stock markets role within the health care industry and implications of health insurance trends for consumers and the safety net is also included. Chartbook
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…
Access to health coverage is a challenge for millions of low-income women. Because they are more likely to be low-wage workers and work in industries that don't offer benefits, access to job-based coverage is often problematic. Avenues for assistance are available to some through Medicaid. However, despite the program s broadened focus on children and pregnant women, restrictive income and categorical requirements still leave millions of women ineligible and often uninsured. Recent changes in public…
A policy brief that provides an overview of Medicaid eligibility and citizenship status, including a discussion of recent legislative changes. Policy Brief
This paper produces alternative estimates of the numbers of uninsured and explores the distribution of the duration of uninsured spells for people who lacked coverage at some time during a 12-month period. Policy Brief Link to fact sheet, Lack of Coverage: A Long-Term Problem for Most Uninsured
Getting Behind the Numbers on Access to Care Project Randomly-Selected Verbatim Responses Harvard School of Public Health, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago October 1996 Methodology Note: Survey respondents who reported that they were uninsured and/or had problems getting needed medical care or paying medical bills in the past year were asked the following question during their interview: I would like you to tell me in your…
The Medicare Chartbook includes data and background information critical to understanding the Medicare program and the challenges it faces in keeping up with the rising costs of health care and in ensuring the program s future financial security.
A national voter survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health conducted shortly after the November congressional elections in 1998. The purpose is to gauge voters' priorities for the next Congress, both generally and with specific regard to health care issues. The survey also measures voter attitudes on Medicare and HMO reform, proposals to help the uninsured, and abortion. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. TOPLINE Download CHARTPACK…
Native Americans and Medicaid:Coverage and Financing Issues Medicaid as Medicare Premium Assistance The Medicare program provides health insurance coverage for the nation's elderly and disabled.16 To enroll in Medicare Part B, which offers coverage for physician and other outpatient care, individuals must be 65 or older or must be disabled, and must pay a monthly premium. This monthly premium, which is generally deducted from an individual's Social Security check, is $43.80 per month in 1997.…
Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population at RiskFindings from the Kaiser/Commonwealth Fund 1997 Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries Charts for Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population at Risk Part 2 Cathy Schoen, Patricia Neuman, Michelle Kitchman, Karen Davis, and Diane RowlandDecember 1998 Table Of Contents List of Charts Chart 16 Problems Paying Medical Bills, by Health and Functional Status Chart 17 Medicare Beneficiaries Experiencing Access or Cost Difficulties, by Poverty Status, Health Status, Age Group, and Functional Status Chart 18…
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