Health Insurance / Medicaid

Implementing Health Reform: Federal Rules & State Rolls
(Alliance for Health Reform - Oct. 14, 2010)

This issue brief describes how federal and state government implementation efforts will mesh, and some key tasks to be performed by each. It describes the tools available to federal agencies in carrying out the law, such as rulemaking. It notes the discretion states have in implementing the law, such as decisions involving pre-existing condition insurance plans and health insurance exchanges. Includes a simplified guide to informal rulemaking.

Workers' Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs, 2008
(National Academy of Social Insurance - September 2010)

Workers’ compensation payments for medical care and cash benefits for U.S. workers injured on the job increased 4.4 percent to $57.6 billion in 2008, according to a study released by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). For the first time, medical benefits accounted for over half (50.4 percent) of all benefits paid. An 8.8 percent increase in payments for medical care drove medical spending to $29.1 billion in 2008 (the most recent year with complete data), while wage replacement benefits paid directly to injured workers rose by 0.3 percent to $28.6 billion. This report is the thirteenth report in the NASI series that provides the only comprehensive data on workers’ compensation cash and medical payments for the nation and for each state, the District of Columbia, and federal programs.

Helping People with Medicare
(Families USA - June 2010)

This report discusses how people with Medicare stand to gain from the 2010 health reform law. The law will make Medicare more affordable by eliminating the “doughnut hole” over time, eliminating cost-sharing for preventive care, and providing more help for people with limited incomes. The law will also make Medicare more financially secure—both now and in the future—by promoting quality and coordination of care, fixing the Medicare Advantage payment system, and strengthening Medicare’s finances while protecting benefits.

EPI’s Guide to Health Care Reform

The Economic Policy Institute has tracked every key development in the effort to reform health care and weighed in on the fairness and effectiveness of various proposals, from how reform will be funded to how much it will cost – or save – the typical American. This is a guide to some of the key issues at stake. - January 7, 2010

Health Coverage for Low-Income Americans: An Evidence-Based Approach to Public Policy by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured

This report attempts to harness what has been learned from research to address core issues that are common to all systems for covering the low-income population, regardless of their particulars. It is hoped that bringing evidence to bear will highlight important policy concerns and provide an empirical basis for developing public policy and devising sound approaches to covering low-income Americans.

No Shelter from the Storm: America’s Uninsured Childrenby Campaign for Children's Healthcare

This report takes a closer look at uninsured children—who they are and what kinds of services they miss out on as a result of being uninsured. It is based on data projections from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau (2004-2006), as well as the 2005 National Health Interview Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Health Care for All by Center for Policy Alternatives

Over 45 million Americans lack health insurance and about 30 million more are underinsured. The increasing financial instability of the managed care industry and the rising cost of premiums and prescriptions has cast doubt on whether any American’s health care is secure. Despite the nation’s massive healthcare spending, millions are uninsured or underinsured. Nationwide, average health insurance premiums for workers increased nearly three times faster than their average earnings between 2000 and 2004. Medical bills are now the primary cause of half of all personal bankruptcies.