CDHC - Policy Issues

Applying the Lessons of State Health Reform

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:37:56 GMT

Lack of health insurance is a significant, persistent problem in New Jersey. In 2007, more than 1.3 million residents were uninsured - three-fourths were working-age adults 19 to 64 years old. About 15.6 percent of New Jersey residents are uninsured, which is close to the national average, and the U.S. Census Bureau recently ranked New Jersey 34th among states in the percentage of residents with insurance coverage.

Crisis of the Uninsured: 2009

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:24:44 GMT

One of the primary goals of health reform is to ensure that all Americans have health insurance. Yet it is generally overlooked that the proportion of Americans without health coverage has been relatively stable over time. According to the Census Bureau, in 2008 the number of individuals in the United States lacking health coverage rose from 45.7 million to 46.3 million. The proportion of uninsured Americans remained virtually unchanged, rising from 15.3 percent to 15.4 percent.

10 Steps to Free Our Health Care System

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:12:30 GMT

To confront America's health care crisis, we do not need more spending, more regulations or more bureaucracy. We do need to liberate every American, including every doctor and every patient, to use their intelligence, creativity and innovative abilities to make the changes needed to create access to low-cost, high-quality health care.

Can Health Reform Save Money?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:11:37 GMT

Health care spending per person varies widely across the country, but greater spending does not appear to produce better quality. A natural inference is that some areas of the country are less efficient in the use of health care resources.

Three Lessons from Massachusetts

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:10:16 GMT

The Massachusetts experiment in health care reform offers many lessons that are applicable to the current debate in Congress. The goals of the Massachusetts plan are similar to proposals supported by Democratic congressional leaders and the Obama administration: universal health insurance coverage through greater access to health insurance.