Resources on Community Health Centers March 1, 2009 Fact Sheet The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued three new resources that examine the role of community health centers as key components of the U.S. health care system, providing primary care to more than 16 million patients nationwide in 2007. The documents, produced for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured,…
Health Affairs Article: Beyond Incrementalism? SCHIP and the Politics of Health Reform February 28, 2009 Report This article examines the political and legislative history of the Children’s Health Insurance Program and analyzes the lessons for policymakers who are contemplating broader health care reform. It was published online in the journal Health Affairs and was authored by Jonathan Oberlander, an associate professor, social medicine and health policy…
National Health Insurance — A Brief History Of Reform Efforts In The U.S. February 28, 2009 Issue Brief This policy brief provides an overview of health reform efforts in the United States over much of the last century, from New Deal-era calls for government-subsidized health coverage to the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s and the failed attempt at universal coverage in the early 1990s. Issue…
Pulling it Together: What Will Health Reform Do For Me? February 24, 2009 Perspective There is one poll number that may be more important to watch than any other if we have a big debate about health reform: The percentage of Americans who think that they or their families would be better off if the president and the Congress enacted major health reform legislation.…
Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) February 12, 2009 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides an overview of provisions of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), which was signed into law in February 2009. The Act extends and expands the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (now referred to as CHIP, not SCHIP) that was enacted with bipartisan…
The Cost of Cancer February 5, 2009 Video This Kaiser Family Foundation documentary explores the financial consequences faced by three people, all privately insured, after being diagnosed with cancer. It was released in conjunction with a joint Kaiser/American Cancer Society report, “Spending To Survive: Cancer Patients Confront Holes in the Health Insurance System.” To download the video, right-click…
Report and Video Highlight Health Coverage Struggles, Other Economic Concerns of Working Families February 1, 2009 Event This report and video from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) illustrate the financial struggles of many families in the United States and show the central role of health care costs and coverage in a household’s economic stability. The report, Snapshots from the Kitchen Table:…
Healthy San Francisco February 1, 2009 Fact Sheet In 2007, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to begin implementation of a plan to provide health care services to all uninsured residents. Healthy San Francisco is not health insurance, but rather it provides access to affordable basic and ongoing health care services for uninsured residents. The…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — February 2009 February 1, 2009 Poll Finding The first Kaiser Health Tracking Poll of 2009 finds the public is increasingly worried about the affordability and availability of care, with many postponing or skipping treatments due to cost in the past year and a notable minority forced into serious financial straits due to medical bills. Slightly more than…
Spending To Survive: Cancer Patients Confront Holes in the Health Insurance System January 30, 2009 Event This report highlights the severe challenges cancer patient may face in paying for life-saving care even when they have private health insurance. Jointly authored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Cancer Society, the report profiles 20 patients and illustrates the potential difficulties people diagnosed with cancer or other…
