Ensuring the Health of America’s Children: Progress and Opportunities
Behind the headlines of a weakened U.S. economy and rising unemployment are two related developments: the transformation of health care coverage into an issue of real salience to working families and the middle class, and the ways in which states have crafted, and will continue to craft, an effective response.
Back to School: Improving Health Literacy to Improve Health
The start of a new school year represents an opportune time to consider how literacy skills can influence both the quality of the health care services people receive and the health outcomes they experience. Health literacy is defined as the ability to “obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (Institute of Medicine 2004).
Engaging Employers: Creating Health Care Advocates in the Business Community
Employers provide health insurance coverage to 160 million workers and their dependents, almost two-thirds of the nonelderly population. With health care costs rising, many business leaders are calling for reform. Health philanthropy is experimenting with several ways to engage the business community in conversations about health care reform.
Key Issues in Reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
Over the last 10 years, the State Children’s health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which now covers 6 million children, and Medicaid, which covers 28 million children, have deceased the uninsured rate of low-income children by one-third. While there is broad bipartisan support for SCHIP, several key issues have emerged during the reauthorization process, including how the program should be financed, who should be covered, and what that coverage should include.