Health Policy Resources

Health Policy Research Organizations:

Academy Health
www.academyhealth.org/publications/index.htm

Description: AcademyHealth is a non-partisan, professional society for health services researchers and health policy analysts. As a manager of programs serving the health services research and policy communities, AcademyHealth produces research in several substantive areas, including health care financing and organization, purchasing, translating health services research, and rural, state, and international health policy. This link provides a complete list of publications, including monographs and reports, briefs and case studies and newsletters.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
www.ahrq.gov/

Description: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. As one of 12 agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, AHRQ supports health services research that will improve the quality of health care and promote evidence-based decision making. The AHRQ website includes access to research findings, fact sheets, data and surveys on various health topics as well as reports on specific populations, quality and patient safety, Health IT, clinical information, etc.

The Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC)
www.hschange.com/

Description: The Center for Studying Health System Change is a nonpartisan policy research organization that designs and conducts studies focused on the U.S. health care system to inform the thinking and decisions of policy makers in government and private industry. HSC strives to provide high-quality, timely and objective research and analysis that leads to sound policy decisions, with the ultimate goal of improving the health of the American public. HSC publications are available on the website.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
www.cbpp.org/pubs/health.htm

Description: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a policy organization working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. The Center conducts research and analysis to inform public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that the needs of low-income families and individuals are considered in these debates. This link provides data on health insurance coverage and health policy analysis by topic.

Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET)
www.hret.org

Description: HRET is the non-profit research organization of the American Hospital Association and since 1944 has focused its resources to address issues that America's health care leaders face every day. HRET's goal is to advance ideas and practices beneficial to health care practitioners, institutions, consumers and society at large. HRET research findings are regularly published in peer-review journals, newsletters, web sites and other media. The website provides links to HRET journal articles and reports (available by order).

National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
www.nashp.org/store/prodpage.cfm?CFID=1103773&CFTOKEN=42960269

Description: The National Academy for State Health Policy is an independent academy of state health policymakers working together to identify emerging issues, develop policy solutions, and improve state health policy and practice. NASHP provides a forum for constructive, nonpartisan work across branches and agencies of state government on critical health issues facing states. The National Academy for State Health Policy conducts research into areas of vital importance to states and to those who depend on state governments for health coverage.

The Urban Institute
www.urban.org/health/index.cfm

Description: The Urban Institute is a nonprofit nonpartisan policy research and educational organization established to examine the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation. The Urban Institute works to promote sound social policy and public debate on national priorities through gathering and analyzing data, conducting policy research, evaluating programs and services, and educating all Americans. The website's health and health care section provides links to various reports and publications on topics such as Medicare, Medicaid, the uninsured, long term care and health insurance.

Health Policy Grantmaking Resources:

Health Affairs GrantWatch
http://content.healthaffairs.org/current.shtml#GRANTWATCH%20

Description: GrantWatch, a section of the bimonthly health policy journal Health Affairs, covers foundations' funding in health policy-related areas. GrantWatch includes recently announced grants awarded by funders around the nation, descriptions of publications about or funded by foundations, reporting of selected grants' results and key personnel changes, as well as essays, reports, and interviews. Online GrantWatch material is posted twice a month.

Grantmakers in Health (GIH)
www.gih.org/info-url2764/info-url.htm

Description: Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the nation's health. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to help strengthen the grantmaking community's knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. Although the GIH Resource Center database is only accessible to funding partners, the Resource Center does provide links to reports and data on the following key health issues: access, aging, children/youth, disparities, health promotion, mental health, public health and quality.

Health Policy Focused Foundations:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
www.bcbsmafoundation.org/foundationroot/index.jsp

Description: The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is a charitable organization created in 2001 by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to expand access to health care. Through grants and policy initiatives, the Foundation works with public and private organizations to broaden health coverage and reduce barriers to care. The Foundation focuses on developing measurable and sustainable solutions that benefit uninsured, vulnerable and low-income individuals and families in the Commonwealth.

The California Endowment
www.calendow.org/reference/publications/index.stm

Description: The California Endowment is a private, statewide health foundation that was created in 1996 as a result of Blue Cross of California's creation of WellPoint Health Networks. The California Endowment's mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. This link provides access to the Endowment's publications, most of which focus on California, but some of which focus on national health policy issues.

The California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF)
www.chcf.org/

Description: The California HealthCare Foundation is an independent philanthropy committed to improving the way health care is delivered and financed in California, and helping consumers make informed health care and coverage decisions. Formed in 1996, CHCF works to ensure that all Californians have access to affordable, quality health care. CHCF commissions research and analysis, publishes and disseminates information, convenes stakeholders, and funds development of programs and models aimed at improving the health care delivery and financing systems. This link provides access to the majority of CHCF publications.

The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF)
www.tcwf.org/

Description: The California Wellness Foundation is a private foundation that works to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. Through its grantmaking, TCWF pursues several goals, one of which is to inform the development of public policies that promote wellness and enhance access to preventive health care.

The Colorado Health Foundation
www.coloradohealth.org

Description: The Colorado Health Foundation (formerly HealthONE Alliance) is a non-profit organization devoted to improving health and health care in Colorado. The foundation's assets serve the community through grants, medical education programs, health policy initiatives and in the support of four program centers serving older adults, families, mothers and infants. The health issues section of the website provides links to research on topics such as mental health, homelessness, and health insurance coverage in Colorado.

The Commonwealth Fund
www.commonwealthfund.org/

Description: The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that supports independent research on health care issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy. The Fund's mission is to promote a health care system that achieves better access, improved quality and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable. All Commonwealth Fund publications (reports, issue briefs and other professional and scholarly publications) are posted on the website and are available free of charge.

Healthcare Georgia Foundation
www.healthcaregeorgia.org/Publications.cfm

Description: Healthcare Georgia Foundation is a statewide, private independent foundation located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Foundation's mission is to advance the health of all Georgians and to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare for underserved individuals and communities. This link provides access to the foundation's policy related publications.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
www.kff.org

Description: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a private foundation that serves as an independent voice and source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the healthcare community and the general public.

The Foundation's main website (www.kff.org) offers access to reports, surveys, issue briefs, charts, and fact sheets containing analysis and the public's views on issues such as the growing number of uninsured, Medicare, Medicaid, rising health care costs, global HIV/AIDS, racial disparities, and women's health policy.

Kaisernetwork.org (www.kaisernetwork.org) is an online resource for non-partisan, timely coverage of health policy developments, debates and discussions. It offers transcripts and live and archived webcasts of issue-based briefings, congressional hearings and other health policy events.

KaiserEDU.org (www.kaiserEDU.org) provides students, faculty and others interested in learning about health policy with background and analysis on health policy topics at the center of national debates.

The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH)
www.mffh.org/policy.html

Description: The health policy section of this website provides access to MFH publications, including reports on the state of health policy in Missouri and nationally, issue briefs and surveys on various health-related issues and information on Medicaid and health disparities in the state of Missouri.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
www.rwjf.org/pr/index.jsp

Description: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a private foundation that works to improve the health and health care of all Americans. One out of every four grant dollars goes to research and evaluation. By funding research (which includes policy analysis) and evaluation, RWJF strives to improve the nation's ability to understand key health and health care issues. The RWJF Research Center provides access to reports, policy briefs, surveys, reviews of research methodologies, datasets, and evaluations.