Health Care and Other Issues

Health Care Reform - 111th Congress

• Senate Finance Chairman Baucus Releases Chairman's Mark (September 16, 2009)

  • America's Healthy Future Act of 2009
• Kaiser Side By Side Comparison of Congressional Health Reform Proposals
• Senate HELP Committee Health Care Reform Legislation Summary (June 12, 2009)
  • HELP Committee Announces Affordable Choices Act (June 12, 2009)
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Summary of Health Legislation (June 4, 2009)
• President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) Releases Report June 2nd Making An Economic Argument for Health Care Reform (June 2, 2009)
• Nation's Governors Adopt Health Reform Principles for Congress and Administration - Including Long-Term Services and Supports (May 28, 2009)
• Long-Term Care: Options in an Era of Health Reform (March 9, 2009)
  • Presentation and Exhibition Packet from Dr. Joshua Weiner
• CCD: National Aging and Disability Organizations United in Call for Health Care Reform to Address Needs for Long Term Services and Supports (March 26, 2009)
• Historic Common Ground on Health Care Reform Reached by Diverse Group (March 31, 2009)
• Jacksonville Times: Aging Caregivers Struggle to Find Long Term Support and Services for Adult Children with Disabilities (March 30, 2009)
• Des Moines Register: Wait List for Disability Services Grows in Tough Economy (March 30, 2009)
• Kaiser: National Health Insurance – A Brief History of Reform Efforts in the U.S.
• HHS Report on Feedback Gathered during Health Care Community Discussions (March 2009)
• Obama Administration’s Health Care Reform Website
• Kaiser: Health Care and Medicaid -- Weathering the Recession (March 2009)
• Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care Hearing: “The Role of Long-Term Care in Health Reform" (March 25, 2009)
  • Video of the Hearing
• Families USA: State Health Beat – A Resource for State Health Care News
• CBO: Options for Controlling the Cost and Increasing the Efficiency of Health Care (March 10, 2009)
• California, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Vermont to Host Health Care Reform Forums in March and April (March 6, 2009)
• Senate Aging Committee Hearing Addressing Long-Term Supports and Services in Health Care Reform (March 4, 2009)
• NGA Creates Task Force on Health Care Reform (February 23, 2009)
• Washington Post: Majority of Americans Believes Obama Should Seek Major Changes to Health Care System (December 21, 2008)
• Roll Call: Dingell to Lead House Health Care Overhaul (December 18, 2008)
• LA Times: HHS Secretary-Nominee Daschle's Approach to U.S. Health Care System Overhaul (December 15, 2008)
• Improving Health Coverage for Americans with Disabilities: Policy Options for the President-elect and the 111th Congress (December 2008)
• Washington Post: Obama, Lawmakers Expanding Health Measures in Stimulus Plan (December 12, 2008)
• Daschle to Head HHS, Become Director of New Office of Health Care Reform (December 11, 2008)
• The Hill: Baucus wants SCHIP, Health IT in Stimulus (December 10, 2008)
• LA Times: Obama team seeks your input on healthcare reform (December 6, 2008)
• Georgetown O’Neill Institute: Improving Health Coverage for Americans with Disabilities: Policy Options for the President-elect and the 111th Congress (December 2008)
• Senators Conrad and Whitehouse Call for GAO to Study Health Reform Best Practices (November 25, 2008)

• Senator Baucus Releases Sweeping Health Care Reform Proposal – Call to Action: Health Reform 2009 (November 12, 2008)

  • Text of Call to Action: Health Reform 2009
  • Executive Summary of Call to Action: Health Reform 2009
• Letter from Chairman Dingell to President-Elect Obama on Need for Healthcare Reform (November 10, 2008)

Health Care Reports and Resources

• Long Term Care in Health Reform: Policy Options to Improve Both (July 27, 2009)
• Families USA: Americans at Risk: Report on the Uninsured (March 2009)
  • State Reports
• GAO: Rising Health Care Costs Challenge State and Local Governments (November 19, 2008)
• Kaiser: State-by-State Health, Health Care and Medicaid Facts (November 2008)
• APA: Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Q&A (November 2008)
• APA: Summary of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (November 2008)
• Families USA: Stand Up For Health Care Reform- Watch the Video and Sign the Petition (October 29, 2008)

• Families USA: Premiums vs. Paychecks: State-by-State Reports (October 27, 2008)

• Families USA: The Candidates and Your Health Care Costs (October 27, 2008)

• Kaiser: Ask the Experts Live Webcasts: Candidates' Advisors on Health Reform Plans(October 7, 2008)
  • Sen. Obama’s Advisor: Wednesday, October 8, 11:00 a.m. ET
  • Sen. McCain’s Advisor: Thursday, October 16, 1:00 p.m. ET
• Kaiser: Health Coverage and the Uninsured (September 2008)
• CBPP: Analysis of Wyden-Bennett Health Reform Bill (September 2008)
• Critical Condition--a New PBS Documentary on America's Healthcare Crisis (September 26, 2008)
• October 5th-11th is Mental Illness Awareness Week (September 26, 2008)
• PBS Documentary: Critical Condition- A Look at the Healthcare Crisis in America (September 16, 2008)
  • Watch the Trailer
• How Many Are Underinsured? Trends Among U.S. Adults, 2003 and 2007 (June 20, 2008)
• Who Pays for Health Care When Workers are Uninsured? (May 2, 2008)
• Poll Shows Americans Rank Health Care Near the Top of Their Economic Woes (April 29, 2008)
• The Price of Excess: Identifying Waste in Healthcare Spending (April 14, 2008)

• Families USA Reports on Link Between Lack of Health Insurance and Mortality in Multiple States: AR, IA, MI, MO, NV, NH, OH, OR, PA, VA, WV (March 26, 2008)

• Kaiser: Employer Health Insurance Costs and Worker Compensation (March 13, 2008)

• Kaiser: Separating the Forest from the Trees in Health Care Reform (February 29, 2008)

• CMS Actuaries Health Care Spending Predictions (February 26, 2008)

• Commonwealth Fund: The Growing Financial Burden of Health Care, 2001-2004 (January 8, 2008)

• Summary Health Statistics for the U.S. Population: National Health Interview Survey, 2006 (January 2008)

• Commonwealth Fund: Bending the Curve: Options for Achieving Savings and Improving Value in the U.S. Health Spending (December 18, 2007)

• Commonwealth Fund: Maine’s Initial Experience in Expanding Coverage Through Dirigo Health Reforms (December 5, 2007)

• CDC: Disability and Health State Chartbook – 2006 (November 2007)

• CBO The Long-Term Outlook for Health Care Spending (November 2007)

  • Baucus Comments on CBO Study Of Health Care Costs (November 13, 2007)

• Alliance for Health Reform Tool Kit for Reporter’s: Health Care Costs (November 12, 2007)

• 50 State Health Ranking: America's Health Rankings- A Call to Action for People and Their Communities (November 12, 2007)

• Why Health Insurance is Important (November 9, 2007)

• Alliance for Health Reform Tool Kit for the Uninsured (November 2, 2007)

• Pepper Commission on Long Term Care Released (November 2, 2007)

• Overburdened and Overwhelmed: The Struggles of Communities with High Medical Cost Burdens (November 2007)

• UCP State of Disability in America (October 19, 2007)

• Commonwealth Fund Report: A Road Map to Health Insurance for All (October 18, 2007)

• Commonwealth Fund: Whither Employer-Based Health Insurance? The Current and Future Role of U.S. Companies in the Provision and Financing of Health Insurance (September 17, 2007)

• Health Affairs Webcast: Vulnerable Populations and Health Care: How Can We Improve? (September 11, 2007)

• Kaiser’s Employer Health Benefits 2007 Annual Survey (September 2007)

• Families USA: Wrong Direction: One Out of Three Americans Are Uninsured  (September 2007)

• Health Affairs: Health Spending By State of Residence, 1991-2004 (September 2007)

• Families USA State Expansions in Health Care Coverage Resource Center (September 2007)
• Kaiser Primer on Health Care Costs (August 9, 2007)
• Massachusetts Health Reform: Employers, Lower-Wage Workers and Universal Coverage (July 26, 2007)
• CBO Director Testimony on Rising Health Costs (July 9, 2007)
• Massachusetts Health Reform Tool Kit (July 2007)
• Families USA Report on Health Disparities in Massachusetts (June 2007)
• Kaiser Update Shows State Health Variations in Key Disparities Indicators (April 19, 2007)

• Kaiser and NGA of Elements of State Health Reform: Web Cast #2 (April 17, 2007)

• CBPP: President’s “Affordable Choices” Initiative Provides Little Support for States (April 3, 2007)

• Kaiser Webcast on Elements of State Health Reform (March 28, 2007)

• The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families (March 27, 2007)

• GAO on Employer-Sponsored Health and Retirement Benefits (March 2007)

• Health Affairs: Transforming the US Child Health System (March 2007)

• Commonwealth Fund Report: Congressional Health Care Bills, 2005-2007: Part I Insurance Coverage (March 19, 2007)

• RWJ: A State-By-State Look at Uninsured Children (March 14, 2007)

• Senator Baucus Seeks Way Forward on Health Care Reform (March 14, 2007)

• Senator Baucus Statement on Health Care Reform (March 14, 2007)

• CBPP: Food Stamp Program Budget Data and Need for Program Investment (March 14, 2007)
• Commonwealth Data Brief on the National Health Care Quality Report (March 12, 2007)
• Kaiser Snapshots: Health Care Costs (March 9, 2007)
• Kaiser Snapshots on How Medical Technology Affect Health Care Costs (March 2007)
• Commonwealth Fund Report Explores State Strategies to Expand Health Insurance Coverage (February 7, 2006)
• Kaiser Snapshots on Effect of Tying Eligibilities for Health Care Subsidies to the Federal Poverty Level (February 2007)
• President Bush Launches Affordable Choices Initiative (January 23, 2007)
• Kaiser Fact Sheet on Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need and Strained Resources (January 2007)
• Squeezing the Middle Class with More Costs and Less Coverage: KFF Diana Rowland Testimony (January 2007)
• Kaiser Fact Sheet Profiles Health Coverage for Low-Income Children (January 2007)
• Kaiser Releases Issue Brief on Issues for Young Adults with Disabilities and EPSDT (January 2007)
• American College of Physicians State of Health Care Report (January 2007)
• Kaiser Report on Number of Uninsured (January 2007)
• NCD Disability Policy Progress Report (December 2006)
• Kaiser Health Cast: A 360° Post Election Analysis of the Health Care Agenda (December 11, 2006)
• Kaiser: Health Coverage for Low-Income Americans (November 2006)
• Supports Intensity Scale Information from AAID (November 29, 2006)
• Kaiser Report on Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Plans (October 2006)
• New Reports Analyze Latest Data on Health Coverage, Examine the Decline in Employer-Sponsored Coverage (October 2006)
• Kaiser 2006 Survey on Employer Health Benefits (September 2006)
• CDC Disability and Health State Chartbook 2006 (September 2006)
• Who are the Uninsured? A Consistent Profile Across National Surveys (August 2006)
• Commonwealth Fund Report: Framework for a High Performance Health System (August, 2006)
• President Bush Issues Health Care Transparency Executive Order (August 23, 2006)
  • Summary
  • CMS Press Release
• Kaiser Brief: Rising Unemployment and the Uninsured (January 2002)Recess Message Talking Points