Kaiser Health Policy News Index: May 2014 May 30, 2014 Poll Finding The Kaiser Health Policy News Index is designed to help journalists and policymakers understand which health policy-related news stories Americans are paying attention to, and what the public understands about health policy issues covered in the news. This month’s Index finds that news about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment numbers was followed by more than half the public, ranking behind two non-health news stories (the kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls and the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia).
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: May 2014 May 30, 2014 Poll Finding More than four years after the Affordable Care Act’s enactment and more than a month after the close of open enrollment, six in 10 Americans say the health reform law has not had an impact on them or their families, Kaiser’s May Tracking Poll finds. Among those who say it has, Republicans are much more likely to say their families have been hurt by the law than helped, while Democrats are more likely to say their families have been helped than hurt.
The Affordable Care Act and Insurance Coverage in Rural Areas May 29, 2014 Issue Brief Rural populations face disparities compared to metropolitan populations in health care. While rural individuals were not more likely to be uninsured than metropolitan counterparts pre-Affordable Care Act, they were poorer and less likely to have private insurance. With coverage changes in the ACA involving an expansion of Medicaid for poor and near-poor populations, decisions by states with large rural populations may cause rural residents to have disparate access to coverage, which may exacerbate cost and access barriers to health care.
Avoiding the Wrong Lessons From the VA and HealthCare.gov Problems May 27, 2014 Perspective This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on May 27, 2014. Problems with the launch of HealthCare.gov and with veterans hospitals allegedly concealing long waits for care feed a narrative that government doesn’t work. But many government programs, including Medicare and Social Security, work well. And there are…
The Virginia Health Care Landscape May 20, 2014 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides an overview of the population health, health coverage, and health care delivery system in Virginia in the era of health reform under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Visualizing Health Policy: Public Opinion At The End of the First Open Enrollment Period May 20, 2014 Infographic This Visualizing Health Policy infographic takes a look at public opinion of the Affordable Care Act at the end of the first enrollment period, including the persistent deep partisan divisions, the sources of people’s impressions, and the favorable views towards many of the ACA’s least well-known provisions. Further, more people want…
In Health Care, Sometimes It’s Provider Choice vs. Price May 20, 2014 Perspective Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, examines the tradeoff between choice of doctors and hospitals and price when choosing a narrow network.
Health Coverage and Care for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: The Role of Medicaid and CHIP May 19, 2014 Issue Brief This brief provides an overview of the health and mental health needs of girls and boys in the juvenile justice system and the role of Medicaid and CHIP in addressing those needs. It focuses on the circumstances of youth who are placed in juvenile justice residential facilities, the discontinuity of Medicaid coverage for those youth, and the options for improving coverage, continuity of care and access to needed services post-discharge, including new opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
New Survey Documents Women’s Health Care, Coverage and Early Experiences with the Affordable Care Act May 15, 2014 News Release A comprehensive survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides a snapshot of women and their health coverage and care during a time of transition as important Affordable Care Act insurance market changes began to take root. These include many changes that affect women including a prohibition on using…