The private health insurance industry is reaping record financial gains while people throughout the U.S. are struggling to meet their health care needs. This report takes a look at recent financial trends in our country’s health insurance industry, with information on national insurance companies and insurers in 26 states. The report recommends greater public oversight of insurers and the creation of a public alternative to private insurance.
Washington State’s major health insurers are reaping record financial gains while covering fewer people. This report takes a look at recent financial trends in Washington’s health insurance industry, recommending greater public oversight of insurers and the creation of a public alternative to private insurance.
Not even businesses in Seattle’s bustling, popular, and iconic Pike Place Market are immune from the health care crisis affecting small businesses across the country. Read about these owners’ experiences with health insurance, perspectives on reform, and support for public solutions.
Indian people in Montana have long confronted barriers that prevent them from accessing needed care. The Northwest Federation of Community Organizations conducted research to determine what these barriers are and how commonly people encounter them. Research staff conducted a review of data, articles, and research studies and conducted in-depth interviews with 46 Missoula residents. This research shows that barriers are both formidable and common.
This publication describes the experiences of just a few of the children who are left behind by the 1996 (pre-SCHIP) immigration-related restrictions. It also tells the stories of not-so-different children who have benefited from the wise investment in health insurance that should be available to all our young people.
This report provides an accurate picture of the uninsured, addressing common misperceptions of this population. The report then provides policy recommendations for comprehensive reform that will make health insurance accessible to all Washington residents.
Communities across Washington support their nonprofit health care institutions. They do so, however, with the understanding that in return, these institutions will provide specific community health benefits. This report looks at non-profit nursing homes across Washington to determine whether or not they are providing an adequate community benefit. It goes on to suggest that all non-profit nursing homes should have a plan to offer community benefits.
This report analyzes nursing facilities in Washington and answers the question of whether facilities are put at a financial disadvantage by serving families who cannot afford to pay high out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, this report investigates the way Medicaid reimbursement rates are set and the effect private paying residents have on those rates.
This report analyzes the savings that nonprofit health care facilities receive due to financing through the WHCFA. Next, the report reviews what the various health care facilities that have borrowed money through the WHCFA claimed to have done with the savings. Finally, the report addresses what WHCFA has done to enforce the savings requirement.
The Health Gap Study involves a survey of nearly 400 small businesses in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington on their experiences in the health insurance market. It addresses issues of rising costs and declining quality of coverage, along with small businesspeople preferences for future reform.
