Health Care for the Uninsured and Underinsured
Selected Research, Commentary and Congressional Testimony
Help for Homeless Women — Jun. 16, 2006
The life of a homeless person is never easy. But for homeless women, it is especially hard. All too often, drug pushers, pimps, robbers and rapists prey on these vulnerable women, writes Suzanne L. Wenzel.
The HSA Mirage — Feb. 20, 2006
Just about everyone agrees that the current health care system in the United States costs too much and doesn't do a good enough job serving those who need care. Americans are ready for substantive health care reform, but reform only makes sense if it is effective, write Dana Goldman and Jesse Malkin.
A Simple Rx for Part D — Jan. 13, 2006
The federal government's new Medicare prescription-drug benefit program for the elderly and disabled, which went into effect Jan. 1, has gotten off to a slow start. This has prompted calls by some for scrapping the program altogether. That would be a mistake, writes Geoffrey Joyce.
Undocumented Immigrants Most Likely to Be Uninsured — Nov. 10, 2005
Undocumented immigrants are far less likely than any other group to have health insurance, accounting for up to one-third of the growth in the uninsured population in the United States in the past two decades.
Pressure from Rising Health-Care Costs: How Can Consumers Get Relief? — Oct. 23, 2005
Th[e] ever-increasing share of national output going to health care is the source of much hand-wringing by policymakers. They worry that we cannot afford to spend so much, and that our national output will suffer as a result. Policymakers have it backward, writes Dana P. Goldman.
Health Costs of Katrina — Oct. 10, 2005
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita took a devastating toll on their victims, tragically killing and injuring some and leaving many not only homeless but jobless. Suddenly unable to pay their medical bills, these people — like many others who were poor and lacked health insurance before the hurricanes — now face a health care crisis, writes Dana P. Goldman.
Healing Storm Victims' Mental Health — Oct. 3, 2005
Victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita are now faced with the task of coping with the psychological aftermath of the nightmare storms. Without a major national effort, many may not have the help they need to recover fully, write Kenneth B. Wells and Greer Sullivan.
Acknowledge Problem, Then Fix It — Sep. 30, 2005
For nearly 20 years, I've been investigating how well the U.S. health care system delivers services that are consistent with professional standards and good science. I've found that most people assume they are already getting top-quality medical care. But, unfortunately, that is often not the case. People are dying needlessly as a result, writes Elizabeth A. McGlynn.
Quality of Care Linked To Early Death for Older At-Risk Patients — Aug. 15, 2005
Older patients at risk of declining health who received lower quality medical care were more likely to die after three years than peers who received higher quality health care.
News Release
Abstract
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Health and Health Care Research Area
Improving Maternal and Child Health Care — Aug. 3, 2005
The illness and death rates of mothers and their young children in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania can be reduced with more coordinated care and increased family involvement.
Evaluating the London Patient Choice Project — Jul. 5, 2005
The London Patient Choice Project offers care options to patients who are eligible for treatment but have been waiting to receive it. Travel time, transport arrangements, hospital reputation and follow-up care influenced patient preferences in the choice process.
Expanding Access to Mental Health Counselors — Jun. 9, 2005
An evaluation of DoD's TRICARE demonstration found that lifting administrative requirements for mental health care, by itself, is unlikely to result in expanded access and use.
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Are African Americans Less Willing to Use Health Care? — May 12, 2005
In accounting for treatment disparities, prior research has assumed that African Americans are less predisposed to seek treatment or are more skeptical of the care they receive. A recent study finds the opposite to be true.
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Measuring Primary Care for Children of Latino Farmworkers — May 12, 2005
A new tool, the Parent's Perceptions of Primary Care Measure (P3C), has proven to be useful to health care stakeholders in measuring primary care for vulnerable populations.
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Information Technology Can Improve Efficiency of Healthcare Spending — Apr. 29, 2005
The use of electronic health records could improve the efficiency of U.S. healthcare spending if policymakers coordinate standards, make complementary investments, and view information technology as providing a competitive advantage.
Reviewing Military Retirees' Pharmacy Benefits Could Lower Costs — Apr. 13, 2005
The U.S. military health care system has experienced rapid growth in expenditures over the past decade. To lower costs, it should discourage retirees' use of retail pharmacies and carefully implement a three-tier drug benefit.
Health Resource Tracking Can Improve Global Aid Effort — Mar. 28, 2005
Developed countries, international organizations, and others provide substantial aid each year to improve health in developing countries. These global efforts could be further advanced by a more comprehensive system for tracking health resources.
Why We Know Painfully Little About Dying — Mar. 27, 2005
Those of us who specialize in advanced illness and the end of life have been fielding reporters' calls nonstop for the past couple of weeks. Everyone wants to know: How many people like Terri Schiavo lack living wills? How many might die every year from having treatment or nutrition withheld? How many families have been torn apart by the complex decisions that must be made when a loved one is dying? Again and again, the answer is sad but simple: We don't know, write June Lunney and Joanne Lynn.
HMO Backlash Caused Few People to Bolt from Health Plans — Mar. 24, 2005
A backlash of public opinion against health maintenance organizations in the late 1990s did not result in large numbers of Americans switching to health insurance plans that offer greater consumer choice.
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Health and Health Care Research Area
Refined Health Status System Aids VA Budget Allocation — Feb. 21, 2005
A quantitative analysis of the factors influencing patient and facility costs led the Veterans Health Administration to adopt more precise categories for patients' health status and to modify regional allocations to better treat patients.
Full Document
Research Brief
Health and Health Care Research Area
Role of Doctors Critical in Effective Public Health — Jan. 21, 2005
During public health emergencies like the 2001 anthrax attacks, officials must provide clear, accurate information on an ongoing basis and integrate private physicians into the public health response.
VA Patients Get Better Chronic, Preventive Care Than Similar U.S. Adults — Dec. 20, 2004
Patients enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system are significantly more likely than similar patients in the general population to receive preventive and chronic care recommended by well-established national standards, according to a new study released today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Improving Primary Care Treatment For Depression Helps Cut Mental Health Treatment Disparities Among Men — Nov. 15, 2004
Improving care for depression in primary care medical practices may help narrow the gender gap that now leaves a greater proportion of depressed men untreated compared with women, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.
California Should Improve Treatment Guidelines for Injured Workers — Nov. 15, 2004
The treatment guidelines being used to define medically appropriate care for California's injured workers need substantial improvement.
Patients Cut Use of Preventive Drugs When Drug Co-Pays Double — May 19, 2004
When the amount patients pay for prescription drugs doubles, patients with chronic conditions cut their use of common drugs for chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and gastric acid ailments by as much as 23 percent.
First National Report Card on Quality of Health Care in America — May 4, 2004
The largest and most comprehensive examination ever conducted of health care quality in the U.S. finds that people in all parts of the country are at risk for receiving poor health care
Research Brief
News Release
Health and Health Care Research Area
Health Care Spending Differences Related to Race and Gender
While health care spending on minorities, poor people and men is often lower than spending on whites, higher-income people and women, the spending gap narrows or disappears in the last year of life for Medicare patients.
News Release (March 2004)
Hospice Care Raises Medicare Cost for Last Year of Life
Patients who choose hospice care cost the federal Medicare system more than patients who use only traditional medical care, a finding that is contrary to traditional views that hospice care is less costly to provide.
News Release (February 2004)
Busiest Hospitals May Not Offer Best Care
Referring infants with very low birth weights to hospitals that treat a large number of similar cases is an unreliable way to direct patients to the highest quality medical providers.
Research Brief News Release (February 2004)
Shortfalls in Health Care for Seniors
People 65 and older with health problems that make them vulnerable to losing their independence and ability to carry out daily activities fail to receive recommended medical care for age-related conditions about two-thirds of the time.
News Release (November 2003)
Women with Disabilities: Who Pays for Health Care?
Women with disabilities in the U.S. are not getting proper health services. A new report describes financial issues affecting access to health care and offers strategies for this growing problem.
Full Document (2003)
Sharing of Health-Care Data Needs a Tuneup
Is your car getting better health care than you are? For many Americans, the answer is yes, and tens of thousands of people in this country are dying needlessly each year as a result, writes Elizabeth McGlynn.
Commentary (June 2003)
Statement on the Final Report of the President's Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans
Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on behalf of the President's Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans.
Full Text (PDF) (June 2003)
Steps Can Be Taken to Improve Public Healthcare
Miami-Dade County faces a challenge -- one in five residents lacks health insurance. Half of the uninsured work full- or part-time, most for small employers. In South Florida, small firms drive the economy in good times and suffer in bad times. Right now, times are tough, and people -- working or not, insured or uninsured -- are vulnerable, writes Catherine Jackson.
Commentary (June 2003)
Disparities In Mental Health for Kids
Mental health programs serve a far greater share of children in some states than in others, but states with higher use of mental health services do not necessarily have a higher need for them.
News Release (October 2003)
HMO Disputes Involve Coverage Not Necessity, Patients Win Half of Appeals
Most disputes between patients and their HMOs don't deal with the medical necessity of services, and many of those that do are resolved in favor of patients, according to a study by researchers from RAND and the Harvard School of Public Health.
News Release (February 2003)
Costs of a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: A Comparison of Alternatives
Assesses plans to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, and their associated costs.
Full Document (2002)
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