Table of Contents

Health care reform benefits kick in for 18 to 24 year olds
California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) has published a guide for young people on how to navigate new health care benefits. Comments: 0

No job, no insurance delivers an economic knock-out to families
Families USA has released a report that details the "one-two punch" of families losing both their jobs and their health insurance. The report contends that there are far more people in 2009 lacking health coverage than the 46.3 million cited by 2008 Census Bureau data. Comments: 1

Americans caught between unemployment and health care
FamiliesUSA has released a report detailing how, as unemployment numbers rise, Americans are in forced to choose between costly unemployment benefits and health care insurance. Comments: 0

Call to Action: Health Care Reform 2009
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chair of the key U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, has issued a detailed "white paper" on insurance-based health care reform. It includes public and private plan options and directives to limit "out of pocket" costs for patients. Comments: 0

Health care and the 2008 presidential election
Families USA has conducted an extensive analysis of plans by presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Comments: 0

Many eligible seniors miss out on prescription drug reimbursement
More than 400,000 low-income seniors may have missed out on millions of dollars in prescription drug reimbursements, finds a recent Government Accountability Office study. These seniors make up a large group of older Americans who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Comments: 0

Young adults and health coverage
The Commonwealth Fund in a new study, Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help, recommends strategies to extend coverage to uninsured young adults and prevent others young people from losing coverage. Comments: 0

Waxman report critical of Medicare drug plan
Hundreds of thousands of people had problems getting coverage for their drugs after the new Medicare drug benefit took effect on Jan. 1. More than 17 million Americans have signed up for the program. About 43 million people are covered by Medicare. A report prepared at the behest of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California) assesses the use and disclosure by Medicare drug plans of tactics that limit access to prescription drugs. Comments: 0