Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Forgoing Needed Health Care

Based on Commonwealth Fund 2007 Biennial Health Insurance Survey data, compares women's rates of uninsurance or underinsurance, sources of coverage, out-of-pocket and premium expenses, access to care, medical debt, and unmet needs, with those of men

Realizing Health Reform's Potential: Women and the Affordable Care Act of 2010

Outlines the 2010 healthcare reform provisions that will benefit women, including subsidized and improved coverage and bans on lifetime caps, rescissions, and rating on gender. Analyzes how each will address women's growing exposure to healthcare costs

Realizing Health Reform's Potential: When Unemployed Means Uninsured: The Toll of Job Loss on Health Coverage, and How the Affordable Care Act Will Help

Examines how the 2010 healthcare reform will significantly expand affordable health coverage options for the unemployed who cannot afford COBRA. Calls for re-establishing COBRA premium subsidies to bridge coverage gaps until it is implemented in 2014

Wages, Health Benefits, and Workers' Health

Examines the divide in the U.S. labor market between higher wage earners with health insurance, and lower wage earners who often lack coverage and access to essential health care

Gaps in Health Insurance: Why So Many Americans Experience Breaks in Coverage and How the Affordable Care Act Will Help

Presents findings from the Health Insurance Tracking Survey of U.S. Adults, including the percentage of those who were uninsured during 2011, reasons for gaps in coverage, access to regular and preventive care, and the impact of federal healthcare reform

NASA Issues Related to use of Halon: Past, Present, Future

NASA began an official halon phaseout program in 1990. NASA has led the way in halon bank management and has participated in the search for halon alternatives. NASA representatives participate in technical committees of the National Fire Protection Association and United Nations Environment Program providing guidance on Halon Phaseout and acceptance, design, installation, and maintenance of Halon Alternatives. This paper addresses some of the key issues that are leading the agency away from dependence on halons for fire protection

What Americans Think of the New Insurance Marketplaces and Medicaid Expansion: Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Marketplace Survey, 2013

The Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces are opening for enrollment on October 1, 2013. The Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Marketplace Survey, 2013, finds that only two of five adults are aware of the marketplaces or of potential financial help that may be available to them to pay for plans purchased though the marketplaces. However, three of five adults who might be eligible for these new options said they were likely to take advantage of them. The survey also finds broad support for state expansion of the Medicaid program, even in states that have not yet decided to expand their programs. While outreach and education are critical to ensuring that those eligible for the new coverage options will enroll, the survey results suggest that eligible Americans will likely take advantage of the law's insurance reforms in the months and years to come

Who Are the Remaining Uninsured and Why Haven't They Signed Up for Coverage? Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Affordable Care Act Tracking Survey, FebruaryApril 2016

The number of uninsured people in the United States has declined by an estimated 20 million since the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 2010. Yet, an estimated 24 million people still lack health insurance. Goal: To examine the characteristics of the remaining uninsured adults and their reasons for not enrolling in marketplace plans or Medicaid. Methods: Analysis of the Commonwealth Fund ACA Tracking Survey, February–April 2016. Key findings and conclusions: There have been notable shifts in the demographic composition of the uninsured since the law's major coverage expansions went into effect in 2014. Latinos have become a growing share of the uninsured, rising from 29 percent in 2013 to 40 percent in 2016. Whites have become a declining share, falling from half the uninsured in 2013 to 41 percent in 2016. The uninsured are very poor: 39 percent of uninsured adults have incomes below the federal poverty level, twice the rate of their overall representation in the adult population. Of uninsured adults who are aware of the marketplaces or who have tried to enroll for coverage, the majority point to affordability concerns as a reason for not signing up

Maintaining Health Insurance During a Recession: Likely COBRA Eligibility

Assesses laid-off workers' eligibility and financial ability to extend employer-sponsored insurance through COBRA. Recommends extending COBRA and providing premium assistance, as well as expanding Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs