Policy Research

Regardless of the outcome of national health reform, a number of states are contemplating creating a health insurance exchange as a way to improve the individual and small group markets. A new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) provides an overview of the potential role of a health insurance exchange, state-specific issues that should be considered before establishing an exchange, and the different ways in which an exchange might be structured and operated.

While national health reform continues to be debated in Washington, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation national program is helping states continue to move forward in helping families fully utilize existing federal programs that provide health coverage to children and youth. These eight reports identify opportunities and challenges for improving enrollment of children in Medicaid and CHIP.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) found that Americans’ confidence in their health insurance coverage and ability to access health care increased two points last month.

Survey reflects overwhelming support for health coverage for children.

Brief examines the impact vouchers would have on low-income families and insurance market.

While nearly half of U.S. physicians identify language or cultural communication barriers as obstacles to providing high-quality care, physician adoption of practices to overcome such barriers is modest and uneven, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Despite the constraints of the recession and uncertainty about the impact of potential federal reforms, many states made great strides in implementing local reforms in 2009, as documented in the new State of the States report from State Coverage Initiatives (SCI).

The recession has significantly increased demands on the health care safety net as millions of people have lost jobs and health insurance, but in some cases the impact on safety net providers has been less severe than expected. That’s according to a new Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) study of five communities—Cleveland; Greenville, S.C.; northern New Jersey; Phoenix; and Seattle.

This issue brief from Urban Institute examines various pathways through which individuals could gain coverage because of the health reform proposals that have passed the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The impact on spending by government and employers has been a major issue in the current health reform debate. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and prepared by researchers at the Urban Institute, this brief estimates the cost and coverage implications of the key provisions of the bill passed by the House of Representatives in November 2009.