Publications

Employer Wellness Initiatives Grow Rapidly, but Effectiveness Varies Widely
July 29, 2010
While employer wellness programs have spread rapidly in recent years, few firms implement comprehensive programs likely to make a meaningful difference in employees’ health, according to a new study conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR).

Research Brief No. 1
News Release

Health Coverage for the High-Risk Uninsured: Policy Options for Design of the Temporary High-Risk Pool
May 27, 2010
While 5.6-million to 7-million Americans may qualify for health coverage through the new temporary national high-risk pool program, the $5 billion allocated until 2014 will cover only a small fraction of those in need, according to a new Policy Analysis from the National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). Policy makers will face hard choices to stretch the funding to cover as many uninsured people with pre-existing medical conditions, and the analysis reviews key issues that must be resolved as the high-risk program is implemented.

Policy Analysis No. 2
News Release

Episode-Based Payments: Charting a Course for Health Care Payment Reform
Jan. 14, 2010
As consensus grows that true reform of the U.S. health care system requires a move away from fee-for-service payments, designing alternative payment methods, including episode-based payments, has emerged as a high priority for policy makers.

Policy Analysis No. 1
Media Advisory

Policy Perspective: Affordable Health Coverage for Near-Elderly Americans
Sept. 30, 2009
Among the policy options to expand health coverage for Americans aged 55 to 64—the near elderly—comprehensive reform of the individual insurance market, coupled with a Medicaid expansion for those with very low incomes, would be the most effective and far-reaching approach, according to a new Policy Perspective from HSC.

Policy Perspective
Media Advisory