Key Topic Guide Series - Cost & Access to Health Care
Articles | Opinion Surveys | Organizations |
Government | Community Initiatives |
Providers & Health Plans
Ferris, Nancy,
"HHS backs
value assessments of health care"
Government HealthIT, September 29, 2006
-- View online while available
Fuhrmans, Vanessa, "Health-Care Premiums Rises 7.7%, Outpacing Wages and Inflation"
The Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2006
-- Subscription may be required
Zhan et al, "Medicare Payment For Selected Adverse Events: Building The Business Case For Investing In Patient Safety"
Health Affairs, 2006; 25: 1386-1393
Subscription required - Consortium members please contact Knowledge Manager (see below)
"Health Care in America 2006 Survey"
ABC News / Kaiser Family Foundation / USA Today
This survey of 1,201 adults ages 18 years and older, was conducted in September 2006. Topics covered
include: perceptions of the reasons for high and rising costs; solutions to the problem; level of worry brought
on by cost concerns.
Massachusetts Medical Society, State of the State's Health Care, Annual Leadership Forums
The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) has presented the State of the State's Health Care Leadership Forums.
Presentations from the Forums may be viewed on the
MMS web site.
National Business Group on Health, Watson Wyatt Worldwide
Managing Health Care Costs in a New Era: 10th Annual National Business Group on Health / Watson Wyatt Survey
Report 2005 www.watsonwyatt.com/research/resrender.asp?id=w-821&page=1
Robert Wood Johnson
"Characteristics of the Uninsured: A
View from the States", prepared for the RWJ Foundation by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center,
University of Minnesota, May 2005.
State Coverage Initiatives
http://statecoverage.net
Sponsored by Academy Health, statecoverage.net includes a reports database on health coverage issues, a matrix
comparing coverage across the states, as well as information about technical assistance and grants available to
state policy leaders.
Massachusetts Division
of Health Care Finance & Policy
www.state.ma.us/dhcfp
The Division of Health Care Finance & Policy is collecting and
analyzing data on both cost and access to health care. Monographs
or newsletters on these topics, such as prescription drug costs,
characteristics of uninsured adults and children, out-of-pocket
spending, etc., are made available to the public on the DHCFP web
site.
Access Project
http://www.accessproject.org/index.html
The Access Project at Brandeis University provides support to local
organizations with "community action research" to assist
leaders in advancing initiatives to widen access to health care.
The Project has published several probing reports,
including Action Where it counts: Communities Responding to the
Challenge of Health Care for the Uninsured, Getting Care But Paying
the Price: How Medical Debt Leaves Many in Massachusetts Facing
Tough Choices, Unintended Consequences: How Federal Regulations
Can Leave Patients in Debt, The Consequences of Medical Debt:
Evidence from Three Communities, Paying for Health Care When
You're Uninsured: How Much Support Does the Safety Net Offer? The
Project has also recently posted an Issue Brief by Robert W. Seifert
entitled The Uncompensated Care Pool: Saving the Safety Net (link
from under Policy Guides.)
Families USA
http://www.familiesusa.org/
Families USA is a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization
working toward the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care.
The organization manages a grassroots network of organizations
and individuals working for the consumer perspective in national
and state health policy debates. Families USA monitors government
actions affecting health care, alerts consumers to changes, and
helps them have a say in the development of policy. The website
includes a number of health policy reports.
Health Care For All
www.hcfama.org/
Health Care For All is a not-for-profit Massachusetts-based organization
which works toward the goal of making adequate and affordable health
care accessible to everyone. The organizations hopes to empower
consumers in Massachusetts to know more about the health care system
and become involved in changing it. Their work combines policy analysis,
information referral, personal and legal advocacy, community organizing
and public education.
Massachusetts Business
Roundtable, Health Care Task Force
www.maroundtable.com
The Massachusetts Business Roundtable, representing various industry
sectors, has undertaken an examination of causes of rising health
care costs and seeks to identify and recommend solutions to the
state's health care woes. In 2006 and 2002, the MBR Health Care Task Force
issues a White Paper entitled "Solutions
for Massachusetts Health Care" which presents the historical
context to the problem and outlines a plan for addressing the problem
making use of collaborative efforts and aligned interests.
Community Partners
www.compartners.org
Operates Health Access Network which runs monthly, regionally based meetings emphasizing community-based health care outreach, promoting information exchange, sharing best practices, and building links between stakeholders. The Community Partners "Moving Beyond Enrollment Forum" works toward moving the newly insured toward health care services.
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Association
The Association is pursuing a multi-year campaign to "champion healthcare
affordability" in the United States. As part of this campaign, BCBSA
compiled "Medical
Cost Reference Guide" which includes excerpts of cost data from
numerous secondary sources. A list of sources referenced is included
on the last page.
Blue Cross Blue Shield
has also supported a web site to provide information on health care
cost, coverage and access issues. This web site, called BCBShealthissues.com,
includes a "Perspectives" section with a "Point / Counterpoint"
debate column and a Research Center with indepth reports and tools.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association published "The
Uninsured in America" report which is available via the
provided link.
This page
last updated October 23, 2006
For more information on the Resource Center
& Library, please contact Lydia Ewing, Knowledge Manager, via
e-mail or at (781) 768-2502. We welcome your further questions
& look forward to your participation in our work and our events!
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