The relative lack of standards for collecting data on population subgroups has not only limited our understanding of health disparities, but also impaired our ability to develop policies to eliminate them. This article provides background about past challenges to collecting data by race/ethnicity, primary language, sex, and disability status. It then discusses how passage of […]
health reform
Health Insurance Marketplace: January Enrollment Report
Nearly 2.2 million people have selected plans from the state and federal marketplaces by Dec. 28, 2013 (the end of third reporting period for open enrollment). A new HHS report provides the first demographic information about enrollees. December alone accounted for nearly 1.8 million enrollees in state and federal marketplaces. Enrollment in the federal Marketplace in […]
Guide to Disability for Healthcare Insurance Marketplace Navigators
The American Association on Health and Disability released a Guide to Disability for Healthcare Insurance Marketplace Navigators. Navigators and other enrollment specialists can use this guide to learn the unique considerations people with disabilities face as they shop for healthcare coverage. For example, someone with a mental health condition or cognitive impairment may have difficulty concentrating […]
Race/Ethnicity and Geographic Access to Medicaid Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in the United States
Compared to elsewhere in the country, there are far fewer outpatient facilities in the U.S. South and Midwest that are able to help people on Medicaid who are battling alcohol or drug abuse, a new study finds. Overall, about 60 percent of U.S. counties have at least one of these facilities, the researchers said. People living […]
A Profile of Community Health Center Patients: Implications for Policy
Community health centers are a key source of primary care in medically underserved areas, and their role is expected to grow as coverage expands under the ACA. To sharpen understanding of the health center patient population, this brief compares the characteristics of health center patients and the low-income population overall, using data from the Health […]
Lives and Livelihoods Lost: The High Cost of Rejecting Medicaid Expansion
Governors and lawmakers in 25 states who reject federal support to expand state Medicaid programs are sacrificing thousands of lives and pushing away enormous economic development benefits that come with $426 billion in direct funding over 10 years, according to a new report by Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the nation’s leading grassroots health […]