Health Costs

As policymakers consider a range of approaches to providing prescription drug coverage to the Medicare population in today s tight budgetary environment, one proposal that has been put forth by the Bush Administration is that of a Medicare-endorsed prescription drug discount card program. This report describes the range of existing…

New NPR/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard Kennedy School of Government Survey on Health Care A new survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government finds that many Americans have real problems when it comes to accessing and paying for health care, and even if they haven’t…

A report focusing on the circumstances facing selected safety net hospitals in five major metropolitian areas around the United States, and their responses in the context of the market conditions they face.Report

Assessing the Status of California's Physician Workforce: Shortage or Surplus? — Issue BriefA 4-page issue brief that looks at recent estimates of California's present and future physician supply, various issues that affect the state s physician workforce, and approaches for ensuring an adequate number and mix of primary care and…

A 4-page issue brief that looks at trends in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage in California. The brief also includes public and private sector strategies for expanding employment-based coverage, and discusses how other states have implemented incremental coverage expansions using public programs and financial incentives, with emphasis on New York State.…

Summarizes the COBRA health coverage law, how it is administered, what its limitations are, and how it impacts low-income workers. Fact Sheet

A report and press release summarizing the findings of 14 focus groups held in eight cities nationwide to explore the attitudes and experiences of Medicare beneficiaries in managed care programs, particularly health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and those with traditional fee-for-service coverage, as well as pre-Medicare beneficiaries aged 60-65. A fact…

A report summarizing the findings of in-depths interviews conducted with Members of Congress and their staff who were actively involved in the health care reform debate about their opinions about what factors influenced the debate and shaped their views. The report finds that, among media sources, talk radio had the…

An analysis of the electorate and health reform that considers how American voters’ values influenced their support or opposition toward health reform proposals and how those attitudes shifted over the course of the debate.

This document provides key findings from a USA Today/Kaiser/Harvard survey examining Americans’ views on, and experiences with, prescription drugs and the pharmaceutical industry, including drug costs, advertisements, safety issues, government regulation and medical research. Summary and Charts (.pdf)