Health Centers Reauthorization: An Overview of Achievements and Challenges February 28, 2006 Report This report reviews the role of community health centers in the nation's health care safety net. Today, over 1,000 federally funded and “look-alike” health centers serve 14.3 million people, three-quarters of whom are uninsured or covered by Medicaid.As health centers look toward legislative reauthorization in 2006, they face several policy…
The President’s FY 2007 Budget Proposal: Overview and Briefing Charts February 27, 2006 Report This chartpack reviews the President’s FY 2007 budget request to Congress and highlights overall budget assumptions and funding for major health programs. It begins with a description of the federal budget process, followed by summary information on the overall composition of the Administration’s budget. Overall, the budget includes net reductions…
Private Long-Term Care Insurance: A Viable Option for Low and Middle-Income Seniors? January 31, 2006 Issue Brief In the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the federal government made it harder for individuals to qualify for Medicaid nursing home benefits by increasing penalties on individuals who have transferred assets for less than fair market value during the past five years and by making individuals with home equity above…
The Implications of a Loss in Public Health Coverage December 31, 2005 Event A new Health Affairs article and a policy brief examine the implications of cuts to public coverage programs like Medicaid and SCHIP. The Health Affairs article finds that Medicaid and SCHIP cuts would increase emergency department visits by the uninsured, suggesting that cost containment actions on public coverage programs would…
A Pre-Katrina Look At the Health Care Delivery System For Low-Income People In New Orleans December 30, 2005 Issue Brief A Pre-Katrina Look At the Health Care Delivery System For Low-Income People InNew OrleansThis issue brief offers a retrospective look at how care was provided to poor residents in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit. It describes the structure of the public safety net and briefly discusses the challenges facing…
What Happens When Public Coverage Is No Longer Available? December 30, 2005 Issue Brief This policy brief examines national data to determine the share of current enrollees of public health coverage programs who would have alternate coverage options if public coverage were no longer available. The authors estimate that no more than 9 percent of low-income adults would have access to an alternative source…
Uninsured and Their Access to Health Care, 2005 November 5, 2005 Fact Sheet The Uninsured and Their Access to Health Care This fact sheet describes the characteristics of the uninsured population, the difference health insurance makes, and why there is a large uninsured population. Fact Sheet (.pdf)
A Profile of African Americans, Latinos, and Whites with Medicare: October 31, 2005 Report This chartpack highlights demographic data about African Americans, Hispanics and whites with Medicare to highlight potential implications for outreach efforts under the new Medicare drug benefit. The information is being used in a series of November 2005 briefings at the start of the first open-enrollment period for the new benefit.…
Hispanics and the New Medicare Drug Benefit October 31, 2005 Poll Finding In a few short weeks, Medicare will undergo big changes that will have a major impact on more than 3 million Hispanic seniors and younger people with permanent disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health coverage. More than one in three Hispanics with Medicare lack coverage for their prescription…
African Americans and the New Medicare Drug Benefit October 31, 2005 Poll Finding In a few short weeks, Medicare will undergo big changes that will have a major impact on nearly 4 million African American seniors and younger people with permanent disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health coverage. More than four in ten African Americans with Medicare lack coverage for their…