Health Coverage & the Uninsured - Research, Public Opinion, Facts & Analysis

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Health Coverage in an Economic Downturn: Impact of Tight Budgets for Families and States
The economic downturn has strained family finances and led some Americans to cut back on medical care. The Foundation has a number of resources that shed light on how Americans and states are faring and provide background on the uninsured, employer-sponsored health insurance costs and trends in states’ Medicaid enrollment and spending.

New, Updated Resources on Community Health Centers
A new report examines how community health centers have fared under Massachusetts' health reform, and a fact sheet and updated issue brief discuss the role of such centers in providing primary care to more than 16 million patients nationwide.

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CHIP TIPS: Citizenship Documentation Changes -- May 2009

This brief, the third in a series, examines changes to citizenship documentation requirements under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

Congressional Testimony on Expanding Health Care Coverage -- May 2009
This contains the prepared written testimony of Foundation Executive Vice President Diane Rowland and Vice President Gary Claxton, who each testified May 5, 2009, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's Roundtable On Health Care Coverage.

Pulling it Together: About Kaiser Health News -- May 2009
In his latest essay for "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO discusses the motivation behind launching Kaiser Health News, a new nonprofit health policy news service.

Webinar: Health Policy Provisions of ARRA -- April 2009
The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Conference of State Legislatures co-sponsored a webinar on key health policy aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The webinar for state legislative health chairs and their staffs, provided an overview of provisions on Medicaid, COBRA and health information technology, among other subjects.

April 2009 Health Tracking Poll -- April 2009
The April Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that six in ten Americans continues to say that they or a member of their household have delayed or skipped health care in the past year. A solid majority of the public believes health care reform is more important than ever because of current economic problems.

The Public and the Health Care Delivery System -- April 2009
A survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health highlights the public’s attitudes and experiences with the American health care delivery system. The survey sheds light on Americans’ experiences with issues more typically discussed by health policy experts – including electronic medical records, coordination of care and comparative effectiveness.

Pulling it Together: 19.7 -- April 2009
In his column, 19.7, from his "Pulling It Together" series, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s President and CEO Drew Altman calculates a key number from health reform efforts since World War Two to underscore the historic nature of this year's health reform debate.

Tutorial: Tax Subsidies for Health Care -- April 2009
This narrated presentation explains how tax subsidies for health insurance work and discusses the arguments for and against them.

Tutorial: Public and Health Care Reform -- April 2009
This narrated presentation discusses public opinion on various options for health care reform.

CHIP TIPS Series Focuses On New Opportunities For Covering Children Under Medicaid and CHIP -- April 2009

This series of implementation briefs called “CHIP Tips” examines new opportunities for covering children following the reauthorization and expansion of CHIP in February 2009. The series is jointly produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.

This brief, the third in a series, examines changes to citizenship documentation requirements under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

This contains the prepared written testimony of Foundation Executive Vice President Diane Rowland and Vice President Gary Claxton, who each testified May 5, 2009, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's Roundtable On Health Care Coverage.

In his latest essay for "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO discusses the motivation behind launching Kaiser Health News, a new nonprofit health policy news service.

The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Conference of State Legislatures co-sponsored a webinar on key health policy aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The webinar for state legislative health chairs and their staffs, provided an overview of provisions on Medicaid, COBRA and health information technology, among other subjects.

The April Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that six in ten Americans continues to say that they or a member of their household have delayed or skipped health care in the past year. A solid majority of the public believes health care reform is more important than ever because of current economic problems.

A survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health highlights the public’s attitudes and experiences with the American health care delivery system. The survey sheds light on Americans’ experiences with issues more typically discussed by health policy experts – including electronic medical records, coordination of care and comparative effectiveness.

In his column, 19.7, from his "Pulling It Together" series, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s President and CEO Drew Altman calculates a key number from health reform efforts since World War Two to underscore the historic nature of this year's health reform debate.

This narrated presentation explains how tax subsidies for health insurance work and discusses the arguments for and against them.

This narrated presentation discusses public opinion on various options for health care reform.

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Health Coverage & The Uninsured

Lack of health insurance coverage for 46 million Americans is one of the nation's most pressing problems. While most elderly Americans have coverage through Medicare and over 60% of non-elderly Americans receive health coverage through employer-sponsored plans, many workers and their families remain uninsured because their employer does not offer coverage or they cannot afford the cost of coverage. Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) help fill in the gaps for low-income children and some of their parents, but the reach of these programs is limited. As a result, millions of Americans without health insurance face adverse health consequences because of delayed or foregone health care and extending coverage to the uninsured has become a national priority.

This section provides data and information on the uninsured population, profiling the uninsured and describing the consequences to individuals and society from lack of health insurance. Data from surveys, studies of the impact of lack of insurance, and analysis of proposals for reform are provided. These materials can help to inform the debate on how to achieve coverage for the nation's 46 million uninsured.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured is the main source for the Foundation's work related to the uninsured population. The Commission provides analysis of the uninsured population, and the impact of lack of insurance on access to care and health status with a particular focus on the low-income population. Through its reports and briefings, the Commission provides up-to-date information on the number and characteristics of the uninsured and assesses options for reform. In addition, the Foundation continues to assess both incremental and comprehensive proposals to address the uninsured, including modeling reform proposals ranging from tax credits to expansions of public programs.