New on the Web 10: June 2002
We've collected information on several new reports and other resources available on the Web that we hope you'll find interesting and useful. Descriptions and links appear below.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: "Statistical Brief #3: Children's Health Care Quality, Fall 2000"
The Access Project: "Immigrant Access to Health Benefits: A Resource Manual"
Commonwealth Fund: "Are Tax Credits Alone the Solution to Affordable Health Insurance? Comparing Individual and Group Insurance Costs in 17 U.S. Markets," "Bare-Bones Health Plans: Are They Worth the Money?"
Health Affairs: "Individual Insurance: How Much Financial Protection Does It Provide?"
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: "Sicker and Poorer: The Consequences of Being Uninsured"
Kaiser Family Foundation: "Women's Health in the United States: Health Coverage and Access to Care"
Kaiser Family Foundation, National Public Radio, and the Kennedy School of Government: "National Survey on Health Care"
National Health Law Program: HealthCareCoach.com
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's State Coverage Initiatives: "State Health Care Spending: A Systems Perspective"
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Statistical Brief #3: Children's Health Care Quality, Fall 2000 presents the results of a survey that asked parents about the quality of their children's medical care. According to the survey, while the majority of parents reported that their experiences with health care for their children were good, there were significant variations in access to and quality of care according to age, race/ethnicity, and type of insurance coverage. Among the survey findings was that children who were uninsured were less likely than privately insured children or children enrolled in public programs to receive care for an illness or injury as soon as their parents wanted. (May 2002)
The Access Project
In order to organize to improve immigrants' access to health care, advocates need to be knowledgeable about two very complex and often highly technical fields: immigration and health policy. Immigrant Access to Health Benefits: A Resource Manual, which has recently been updated, explains basic eligibility requirements for key federal and state programs. It also identifies issues that can be significant barriers to access to health care for immigrants and their families. (May 2002)
Commonwealth Fund
Are Tax Credits Alone the Solution to Affordable Health Insurance? Comparing Individual and Group Insurance Costs in 17 U.S. Markets examines group and individual insurance premiums in 16 metropolitan and one rural area for individual plans roughly equivalent to the average benefits in the employer group market. The report also assesses the affordability of individual insurance premiums for men and women ages 27 and 55 with no preexisting medical conditions whose annual income is 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The authors conclude that "… if policymakers want to make health insurance affordable to women and older or less-healthy adults, a $1,500 tax credit will not … protect these people from incurring catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses." (May 2002)
For Bare-Bones Health Plans: Are They Worth the Money?, researchers developed several alternative insurance policies that would cost 30 percent less than a current basic benefit plan and examined the implications of these policies for purchasers. The authors conclude that, although bare bones-policies are ostensibly meant to make insurance more affordable for low-income consumers, out-of-pocket costs could easily exceed 10 percent of income for low-wage people. Also, such people could face catastrophic medical costs well in excess of their annual income. (May 2002)
Health Affairs
Individual Insurance: How Much Financial Protection Does It Provide? presents the results of a study that compared individual health insurance with employer-sponsored plans and estimated out-of-pocket spending for people with group and individual insurance. Among the findings is that cost-sharing in individual plans is much greater than it is in group plans, while covered benefits are more meager. (April 17, 2002)
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Sicker and Poorer: The Consequences of Being Uninsured synthesizes the major findings from the past 25 years of health services research analyzing the most important effects of health insurance. The report evaluates thousands of citations and 230 research articles to assess the health and economic consequences of being uninsured. The report concludes that this large body of research makes a compelling case that having health coverage does lead to improved health and better access to care. (May 2002)
Kaiser Family Foundation
Women's Health in the United States: Health Coverage and Access to Care presents the results of a survey of women's experiences with their health plans and providers, with an emphasis on the experiences of low-income women and women of color. The report begins with a chapter on the health profile of women, followed by chapters on women's health coverage, their health plans, their health care providers, and their access to and use of health care. (May 2002)
Kaiser Family Foundation, National Public Radio, and the Kennedy School of Government
National Survey on Health Care points to a significant medical divide along socio-economic lines. The survey found that those in the top income categories have few problems getting health care or paying for it, but those in the bottom income groups-and many in the middle class-are burdened by such problems. The survey also found that, despite most peoples' lack of confidence in the health care system, few are pushing for sweeping changes to that system. (June 2002)
National Health Law Program
HealthCareCoach.com provides basic information about health insurance and health care so that you can be a savvy health care consumer. The site has three sections: 1) Your Insurance-provides tips on getting and understanding insurance and protecting your coverage; 2) Your Health-explains how to get your health plan to cover your health condition, how to find a doctor or hospital, and how to understand medical terminology; and 3) Your Action Center-explains your rights as a health care consumer and how to communicate your concerns to health policymakers. (June 2002)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's State Coverage Initiatives
State Health Care Spending: A Systems Perspective outlines the ways state governments finance and deliver health care. It goes on to explore the benefits of evaluating proposed health care cuts from a systems perspective-taking into account not just the direct effects of proposed cuts, but also the indirect effects those cuts may have on other parts of the health care system. It concludes by presenting four solutions using the systems perspective that states may want to consider as they deal with their budget crises. (May 2002)
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