New Study Examines the Current Spending on Health Care for the Uninsured and Projects the Cost of Additional Medical Care if the Population Were Insured August 1, 2008 Report This study examines the current spending on care for the uninsured and projects additional medical spending if the population had health insurance coverage. The study finds that the uninsured will spend $30 billion out-of-pocket for health care in 2008 while receiving $56 billion in uncompensated care, three quarters of which…
Covering the Uninsured in 2008: Key Facts About Current Costs, Sources of Payment and Incremental Costs August 1, 2008 Report This document summarizes key findings from a Kaiser study featured in Health Affairs that examines the current spending on care for the uninsured and projects additional medical spending if the population had health insurance coverage. Key Findings (.pdf)
Highlights of Kaiser Family Foundation Resources on the Uninsured August 1, 2008 Poll Finding With the upcoming U.S. Census Bureau release of 2007 health insurance coverage data, the Foundation has compiled some key resources about the nation’s uninsured population and related health policy issues. Key Resources Five Basic Facts on the Uninsured The Uninsured: A Primer Health Insurance Coverage in America Chartbook, 2006 States…
The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Costs and Consequences in 2007 August 1, 2008 Report This study quantifies the number of Medicare Part D plan enrollees in 2007 who reached a gap in their prescription drug coverage known as the “doughnut hole,” as well as the changes in beneficiaries’ use of medications and out-of-pocket spending after they reached that gap.
New Reports and Briefing Focus on Dental Health Coverage and Access July 1, 2008 Fact Sheet More than 100 million Americans have no insurance to help cover dental needs. With health reform discussions ongoing, the Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) cosponsored a briefing which examined oral health in the broader conversation of improving quality and expanding access. Three new reports from KCMU…
Eroding Access among Nonelderly Adults with Chronic Conditions: Ten Years of Change July 1, 2008 Report A Kaiser study published as a Health Affairs web-exclusive article finds the number of working-age adults who have major chronic conditions grew by 25 percent between 1997 and 2006 and those without health coverage in this group experienced substantial erosion in access to health care. The study also reveals that…
Filling an Urgent Need: Improving Children’s Access to Dental Care in Medicaid and SCHIP July 1, 2008 Report In October 2007, the Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the National Academy for State Health Policy convened a day-long meeting of policy officials and oral health experts to discuss children’s access to dental care in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and exchange…
Pulling It Together: Moving Away From Employer Based Coverage: Don’t Forget Public Opinion June 25, 2008 Perspective One of the underlying big issues in the unfolding health reform debate is whether most Americans should continue to get insurance through work where they get it today, or purchase it themselves in the individual private health insurance marketplace. Senator McCain promotes moving to individual insurance and having individuals rather…
Abortion in the U.S.: Utilization, Financing and Access June 19, 2008 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides key data on the levels of use of different abortion procedures in the United States and reviews the different federal and state policies that affect availability of and access to abortion services. It also provides information on how abortions are financed in the public and private sectors and reviews the state-level policies and Medicaid and private insurance rules that affect coverage of abortion services, including parental involvement laws, provider protections and clinic regulations.
Pulling It Together: Perspectives on State Health Reform June 9, 2008 Perspective This Pulling It Together column is the fourth in my new series. All four so far have dealt with different dimensions of health reform. This time I write about one of my favorite topics, the states. As a former head of an umbrella health and social services agency in a…